


The Phantom's Princess

by Lyntea



Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms, The Phantom of the Opera (1989)
Genre: F/M, Mystery, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-09-29 03:42:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17195849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyntea/pseuds/Lyntea
Summary: Bowser, a murderous koopa with countless disappearances on his hands, takes Peach hostage and locks her away from the outside world. Instead of killing her, he spares her for the sake of their past relationship. Peach is left at Bowser's nonexistent mercy, and is kept beneath the opera house as punishment for her trespassing, unable to dispose of her. Eventually gaining one another's trust, Peach becomes one of his many pawns in hopes of solving a secret brushed under the rug.Though her only initial wish was to escape, Peach finds herself attached to the koopalings, and even the phantom of the opera himself.Moderate sexual themes and slight violence! Nothing too bad, you sinners.





	1. The Dark Lands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story is planned to be very long and detailed! While this is set in the environment of The Phantom of the Opera, the plot is quite different! Also, my interpretation of these characters may be a bit off! I've never written a Mario fanfiction...but just know that Bowser is far more dark in my version of him, and Peach is a bit different, too! I hope you enjoy! This first chapter is a bit slow...but I promise it picks up! Stick with me here!

 

The clicking of heels and boots echoed throughout the streets of the Darklands as the two humans clumsily made their way down the populated streets. Peach's hands were gently locked in front of her as she patiently followed behind her father.

Koopas and other mysterious creatures were scattered for as far as Peach could see. Well, they were all she  _could_  see! Peach and her father were the only humans walking among the population as they awkwardly stumbled through the streets. Occasionally, Peach would have a small Koopa nudge her out of the way, having her release a small apology, which was always met with an annoyed glare in response.

The constant sound of rustling and shoving was as pleasant as the ambiance seemed to get, but the two were somewhat-used to it. It was rather similar to the rushing Toads of the Mushroom Kingdom, if you took out the bitter glares and whispers...and...all the other  _negative_   _aspects._

Yet, not all was bad, in Peach's eyes. While most attention seemed...questionable, some stares seemed to radiate admiration and curiosity.

It was clear that humans were not a common occurrence in the Darklands, whether or not that was a good or bad thing. If the glares and whispers weren't enough evidence, the fact that the two seemed to have an invisible bubble around them, repelling any and everyone, was a dead give away.

Peach's father seemed oblivious to the constant negative energy that surrounded the Koopas that avoided the two. Or, at least, he chose to ignore it, as he gazed over his shoulder at his daughter.

"I knew they said we'd feel out-of-place, but can you believe how literal we should have taken that, Peachy?" Her father mumbled with a slight twinkle in his eyes, "Though I'm not quite sure how I feel about it just yet."

Her father's voice called Peach's eyes upwards towards him as she carefully followed the older man. She gently parted her lips to reply, but quickly fumbled her words as she stumbled and nearly fell, a pair of older Goombas casually walking across the rim of her long, plain dress. The couple, too, had to catch their footing as Peach's dress pulled out from under their feet.

Though Peach wasn't at fault, she politely bent down and whispered her apologies to the two elders. Whether the Goombas were hard of hearing, or simply wanted nothing to do with the out-of-place human, she sighed and ignored their lack of reply before dusting off her dress and catching up with her father, who hadn't even noticed he had nearly abandoned his only daughter.

 _It's true_ , Peach silently and cautiously responded to her father's earlier statement,  _I suppose we don't necessarily...fit in_.

The Darklands, as a whole, were the polar opposite of the world Peach had grown up in. The weather was of a barely-tolerable heat that made the young lady regret wearing such a long dress. The material was cheap and rather thin, but it still managed to make her feel uncomfortably cramped as she adjusted her collar with a sigh.

The buildings, too, stood out to the young woman. Rather than the polished marble of the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach's eyes were met with rough, obsidian buildings and dark streets that seemed to absorb the surrounding heat. These buildings fenced in either side of the street and seemed to trap even  _more_  heat into the area, nearling suffocating anything that wasn't a Koopa.

The slabs of obsidian housed countless Koopas and were elegantly carved and polished, though somewhat rough. Markings, patterns, and different hues of the dark purple decorated the entrances to the individual buildings. Though dark and intimidating, the architecture had its unique, warm charm.

Suddenly, Peach's father abruptly stopped. With her attention on the large buildings, Peach gently bumped into his back, releasing a gentle "oof," as she wasn't prepared for the sudden pause. However, being so dainty, her father barely budged, let alone noticed, the fact that his daughter's nose had gotten squished on his back.

He beamed. "Here we are," her father stated proudly, though clearly exhausted. He wiped his temple before looking back towards his daughter. He furrowed his brow as he examined his daughter. "Are you alright?"

Peach froze as a slight amount of pigment rushed to her cheeks. She had been rubbing her nose to ease the pain, but quickly lowered her hand before flashing an awkward smile of reassurance.

"A bit squashed, but fine," she gently replied a nonchalant wave of her hand. Peach's smile faded, however, as he clearly didn't care for an answer.

The taller man didn't seem to acknowledge her reply, as his eyes had already focused on the impressive building before them. His hands were on his hips and his chest was puffed in pride as he clutched his instrument's case to his side.

Towering over the two was, indeed, their destination. Word of the Darkland Theatre was spoken of globally, but seeing it in person...Peach was at a loss for words, and even too entranced to notice the countless Koopas shoving past her and dirtying her dress, leaving the theatre in a rush.

The large cathedral upheld the obsidian theme of the surrounding buildings, though pillars and tinted windows decorated its surface. Towers and pillars seemed to reach higher than the two could see, lava and fire providing the only source of light against the dark walls. The distant whisper of instruments playing within its walls beckoned Peach to enter and sing among them, but also brought her back into reality; she had made it.

Awaiting her father's permission to enter, she turned towards him.

"This is all a bit... _intimidating_ ," the girl whispered as she clenched her gloved hands anxiously. She had been taught to only speak when spoken to, but her growing doubt seemed to overlook her lessons. "Are you sure they'll even...consider us, father? We're not exactly-"

He scoffed and interrupted her doubt...she instantly regretted talking out of line.

But Peach had every reason to be doubtful! It had taken the two months to reach the Darklands, and the rumor of an opening in their theater was nothing more than that: a rumor. The idea of two humans with no money to their name, getting hired, was ridiculous!

"With your voice and my technique, they'd be foolish to send us away, Peach." His voice was stern, yet reassuring. "Now, now...Let's go before the sun cooks us alive," he muttered with a loud sigh.

* * *

The large theater was practically encased with lava in some areas, so the two expected to be suffocated by the heat the moment they entered. Yet, they were met with an oddly-cooling sensation as they walked through the large entrance.

The two released their breaths, not realizing they had been holding them. The air was  _exactly_ what they needed.

Inside, the obsidian walls were covered in golden patterns that wrapped along several pillars, reaching the high ceiling, which was painted with religious paintings of strange creatures with wings and halos. Peach had to hold back a small giggle at the calm, happy baby Koopas that were painted flying above all the working individuals below, the exact opposite of what expressions were plastered on the employees.

It was clear that this was a wealthy establishment; somewhere Peach and her father clearly didn't belong.

" _Name?_ " A hoarse voice called out, seemingly repeating herself. Peach's eyes shot back down to earth, seeing a small Koopa before the two, a clipboard in hand. She wore a small headband on the top of her head and her face was painted with heavy makeup.

The Koopa cleared her throat, flipping a page, and repeated herself for what seemed to be the third time.

Realizing she had accidentally ignored the Koopa, Peach hastly replied, "Peach!" She spoke a bit too quickly and loudly. A blush covered her cheeks as she locked her hands in front of her, feeling her father's disapproving gaze on her side. "Peach...Peach Toadstool," she corrected quieter, with the classic charm she had been taught to obey.

Pleased with the response, the Koopa released a small, " _Mhm,_ " before scribbling down the names given to her. "Purpose?" She muttered once again, clearly over the fact that she had to manage two people who didn't even seem to be able to afford the clothes on their backs.

This time, Peach's father was eager to answer. He seemed, as usual, oblivious to the fact that the stranger had not looked at the two once, let alone treated them respectfully.

"An opening was announced a month ago!" He tightened his grip on his instrument case, out of both pride and nerves. "My daughter and I-"

"Sorry,  _sir,_  but that opportunity passed a few days ago," she interrupted in her monotone voice. She was aware this 'discussion' was a waste of time. "Unless you're here to reserve tickets,  _which I highly doubt you can afford_ ," she added quickly before flipping her notes back to the front, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave-"

The Koopa's words cracked before she paused entirely. For the first time, she had looked up from her notes and examined the two. A curious expression spread across her face as she was met with curious gazes from the two before her.

She hadn't expected to be towered over by anything other than Koopas or monsters

"Humans?" She muttered curiously, though still somewhat-monotone. For once, she looked awake and almost a bit...pleased that she had found the two. This was just what she was looking for!

The Koopa fumbled her notes, dropping a few sheets of paper, covered entirely with doodles of rather crude creatures. She didn't seem to care she had dropped her personal work, as she squinted her eyes at the two. This was  _far more important._

Peach and her father awkwardly shuffled as the Koopa's reaction brought even more eyes on the two. They had noticed the mostly-negative attention almost immediately, but this... _this,_  was entirely different. Something was off.

"Seems the spot you're here for just opened. Follow me, please." The Koopa turned on her heels and started walking further into the opera house. As Peach and her father stood in shock, the Koopa turned to glare at the two, demanding that the two follow suit.

Nervously, Peach and her father quickly followed the smaller, slightly-bossy Koopa. They exchanged gazes but never dared to speak as they were led further into the opera house's labyrinth, wary of what exactly the Koopa's intentions held.

* * *

As the two walked away, clearly anxious, a set of glowing eyes observed them in amusement. Through a small crack in the stone walls, barely noticeable to the naked eye, the entire conversation had been overheard.

Looking through the hole was a small female Koopa stood upon a wooden crate that, somehow, refused to collapse from age. She wore a bright-pink, spotted bow and a set of red beads rested around her neck. The Koopa's mouth puckered into a thoughtful pout as she listened and observed the situation.

"Wendy! C'mon!" A squeaky, impatient voice demanded beneath her. "What's going on? Can't you at least tell me  _something?_ "

The female Koopa groaned in irritation as she stared back at her brother. "Quiet, Junior! They're not completely gone yet! Can you, like, wait a  _few_  seconds?" She angrily whispered to him. "Sometimes, I forget how much of an impatient twerp you really are! Doesn't take long for you to remind me, huh?"

Not even caring to listen to Junior's whine in protest in response to her harsh words, Wendy glared away from her brother and back towards the slight crack, looking from left to right, realizing the two had left her view.

"Ugh! You made me lose them!" She quickly hopped off the crate with ease and towered over Junior. "Wait 'till dad finds out that there are two  _new_  humans here! Without him sayin' so!" She paused as she harshly poked his chest. "...And that  _you_  made us lose track of where they went!"

Junior huffed as he choked back angry tears. He wasn't looking forward to a scolding from his father. "Yeah, well,  _I_  was the one who noticed them! You wouldn't have even  _seen_  'em if it wasn't for me! Maybe you're just bad at spying, Wend-"

A strong thump to the head left Junior crying as Wendy stormed off down the dark corridor, her hands in fists at her sides as she mumbled various vulgar insults. Belittling her spying capability sent her anger over the edge...after all, she was in charge of managing all of the gossip and discourse of the opera house for her dad! That was what she was good at! She wasn't going to let some... _pipsqueak_  of a Koopa tell her otherwise...Let alone the very pipsqueak that was only ever good at bothering everyone!

Far behind, Junior's cries were muffled to slight sniffles as he followed Wendy from a distance. He kicked several rocks against the wall as he walked down the damp hall, wishing he had thumped Wendy right back instead of crying.

Junior paused, noticing some intense fire-damage on the stone wall. Ash and sult decorated the area, and the stone was burnt in several shades of black. The burned fabric and supplies seemed to be the only thing left of him.

Junior gulped, no longer crying, as he remembered what happened the last time a stage worker had wandered into the depths of the opera house.

That koopa's 'disappearance' from the above world would be nothing compared to a human showing up and accidentally finding their haven.

Though any other creature would be left unable to see the burns, the underground labyrinths of the Opera House were home to Junior, and he could easily see where he to go as he quickly rushed past the props, easily avoiding obstacles and ducking under spider webs. The air was cool and murky, smelling of stale stage equipment and clothing...But that was what home smelled like to him.

Many knew of the countless twists and turns beneath the famous theater, but very few ventured beneath without an approved reason. For most, the tunnels were simple myth to keep the homeless out of the basement...which was helpful cover for those who lived within its walls.

Junior paused as he turned a corner, however, as Wendy's silhouette stood next to one of a Koopa several times larger than her. She was hunched over and nervously twisting her food on the dirty floor.

Their voices were distant and echoed.

She gazed up at the towering figure. "I swear, I swear! I wasn't the one who even, like,  _y'know_...lost focus of 'em! Dad, it was-"

" _I don't give a damn who you're deciding to throw the blame on!_ " The deep, hoarse voice hissed in rebuttal, not happy with what Wendy's response was. His voice was hushed and overflowing with clear, distinct rage as he clenched his fists. Wendy flinched, as if she was going to be hit, before the other voice grunted in anger, somewhat-annoyed that she assumed she would be even remotely harmed.

Junior couldn't help but smirk as his sister shook.

"This god-forsaken opera house is going to be the death of me. I can already feel my blood pressure spiking," the taller silhouette spat as he wiped his brow.

He pushed back his mane with a drawn-out sigh, clearly not happy with his rage towards the smaller Koopa...though it still remained overflowing.

"Go fetch Daisy," he bitterly mumbled before storming off. "She had better have the answers to why the hell my orders aren't being followed. I expect you to have found her and brought her to me within 20 minutes." Not hearing Wendy run off, he glared over his shoulder one final time.

"Y-yes, sir!" Wendy squeaked before practically sprinting in the other direction, pushing past Junior in desperate hopes of finding the one human they could trust.

Junior barely flinched and gulped as he pressed his back against the wall, knowing that the two humans were not going to enjoy their stay at the infamous Darkland opera house without Bowser's approval...but that's not what bothered him. The fact that it seemed  _no one else_  would be safe until they were taken care of, worried him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your questions will be answered soon enough! Thank you for reading.


	2. The Search

"Oh, drop it, idiot! There's no way that's true," a short, hairless Koopa growled in annoyance at his company. "You're just making up another one of your...your dumb kid stories!"

Junior whined angrily.

"No way, Morton! Wendy saw it, too!" He gestured to his older sister, who just rolled her eyes in response. Junior ignorantly furrowed his brow and poked her several times to get her attention. "Wendy? Hello? Wendy?"

"Shut it, shorty!  _And get your sticky claws offa me!_ " She cried, swatting him away. She groaned in defeat before continuing. "Okay, sure, we saw humans in the opera house, but, like, you shouldn't be tellin' everyone! Dad's already peeved off enough 'cause of this!"

Wendy rubbed her aching head as she remembered her father's scolding. His yelling could be heard in the distance as he 'talked' with Daisy. Even though he was on the other side of the tunnels, at his study, his roars were easily echoed through the labyrinth.

"C'mon, you two freaks are overreacting," Morton interrupted with pride. "Dad'll just ' _take care of 'em,_ ' like he always does."

His prideful grin grew as he remembered the last koopa that thought he could wander the Darkland's theater. He was not...around anymore.

"Yeah, Wendy! Dad'll just burn 'em up!" Junior added with a wide smile, knowing they weren't the most  _hospitable_  of hosts. He snickered. "You saw the two humans! What could they even do to  _us?_ Hah! I'd like to see em try to-"

"You doofus! Don't you know what our upcoming show's, like, about?" Wendy interrupted loudly.

Junior and Morton glanced at each other blankly as silence creeped over the two. They shifted on their feet before turning to Wendy, silently conveying their cluelessness. They rarely knew  _anything_  about the shows.

Wendy rolled her eyes with an inpatient sigh. "Why am I related to such morons," she muttered just loud enough for the two to barely hear. But, they bit their tongues, curious enough that they could swallow an insult.

Wendy held her breath, knowing very well that the information was about to spill out of her.

She took a large inhale. "That little human and her pops probably aren't going anywhere anytime soon, you know, and dad isn't happy 'bout it."

She gestured with her claws, just in sync with one of Bowser's signature roars of anger.

She was met with two confused stares, so she glanced over her shoulders, as to make sure no one else was listening. Once satisfied with their lack of evesdroppers, Wendy turned back towards the two, her voice hushed.

"Our next play calls for, like, a human lead, and those freaks are probably gonna snatch it. Yeah, that's right! Hired, at  _the_  Dark Lands theater!" Her voice sped up, though remaining hushed, as she walked in a circle. "They did this without, like, dad's word! They say it's ' _political propaganda for the war,_ ' or whatever. That's what all the stage workers are saying!"

Morton's brow furrowed as he wasn't buying the information.

"What?! Why not get a Koopa to dress like a human? We don't needa human. This is stupid, Wendy! A human hangin' around and getting information isn't somethin' dad woulda let slip by him."

Wendy harshly poked Morton's chest with a growl. " _You think I don't know that?_  They never planned on hirin' a  _real_  human! But one shows up and  _here we are!_ " She groaned. "They probably want a real human to, like... _I dunno_! Show how awful humans are, or something? That's all I got from listening to the drunk workers while I got Daisy." She paused. "I dunno how  _dad_  didn't know. Or how the heck  _we_  didn't know anything!"

"Daisy didn't know? She lives up there with those losers...why didn't she tell us?" Morton questioned accusingly.

"Daisy's here?" Junior's eyes lit up as he ignored the main focus of their conversation. That was clearly the only information he had paid attention to. His eyes lit up with the idea of seeing her on one of her rare visits.

Thankfully, their father thought well of her, too, so her presence was almost always tolerated.

"She's with dad right now, idiot," Morton muttered. "And unless you want a big ol' bruise, I'd stay away from 'em for now." He clenched his fist as he grinned. "Or, yanno what? I can do that for 'em!"

Junior squealed as he hid behind his sister, who clearly wasn't happy to have him clinging to her.

He peaked his head from behind her. "But I don't understand...if they're puttin' the human as a  _bad_  role...to show how  _bad_  humans are...why is daddy upset? Isn't that the sorta stuff he'd be okay with? Y'know...makin' humans look bad?"

Wendy sighed as she shook her brother off of him. "Guess he just doesn't wanna, like, his authority to go away, yanno? That's just a guess. They didn't even bother  _tellin'_ him!"

Junior nodded, but that didn't seem like the right answer to his question.

"Yeah, I guess," he mumbled with a sigh, deciding to look into the situation later. "I bet he's pretty mad, huh?"

* * *

" _Political propaganda my ass!_ " Bowser spat. He had been chewing her apart ever since Wendy had fetched her. "You think that's a good enough excuse for the  _phantom?_  You think I won't do something about this? How many koopas do I have to kill for this damn opera house to realize I'm in charge here? How many  _humans?_ " He added sourly.

Daisy cooly leaned against the wall, her arms crossed and one of her brows arched. She seemed unbothered by the imagery.

"Really,  _Bowsy?_ " She paused as he flinched at that nickname, smiling as his 'intimidating' and angry composure was replaced with pure annoyance for a moment. "You're gonna cry about something as little as this,  _huh?_  What happened to the Koopa who-"

Her words were cut off as a puff of smoke left Bowser's lips, fogging her vision. Daisy grunted in annoyance as she rolled her eyes and waved the smoke out of her face.

" _Chill out!_  You've been overreacting ever since I got here!" The short human called out with a clear amount of annoyance in her voice. She took a few steps towards the large Koopa before her, neither of them intimidated of each other as they bickered. "Okay, sure, you tell this place what music to play and what actors to cast, but you can't just...just  _throw a hissy fit_ when they consider hiring someone you're not happy with!" She crossed her arms with a frustrated sigh. "I swear, you're so childish sometimes."

Bowser leaned in as his eyes flashed with clear distaste of her words.

" _Childish?_ " He hissed through clenched teeth; that was the last thing he wanted to be called by his company. "If being concerned is  _childish_ , then I guess I am! Maybe you just don't care,  _Daisy_ , seeing as this doesn't even concern you!"

Daisy's cheeks puffed in anger as her eyes widened.

" _Oh, really? I don't care? Is that so?_ " Her voice trembled with anger and she barely managed to hold herself together. Both knew what he said wasn't true, but it continued to piss her off anyways.

Her arms were clenched at her side as her nails dug into her palms. She knew Bowser wouldn't harm her, but she was inching towards punching him right in the nose.

"Might as well be true!" He angrily replied with just as much temper, if not more. "You're a fleshy little human! A stupid, good-for-nothing, wench, if anything! Your damn safety isn't dependant on this building, and you know that!" His voice had reached a roar that seemed to make Daisy's head spin, but she held her ground.

Bowser's voice hushed as he pushed back his hair with an annoyed sigh.

" _You aren't locked away."_

A rush of goosebumps covered Daisy's arms at his cold words. His tone, though still furious, became questionably layered with several emotions. Was Bowser acting...vulnerable? Afraid? The murderous, tactical phantom of the opera was...showing his fear? She always knew it lingered beneath his anger, but he solem showed it, let alone showed anything other than his clear lack of anger management.

The two stood in silence, left to their own thoughts. Daisy, trying to understand his words, and Bowser, feeling a fool for even speaking, questioned why he needed a fool of a human as a tool.

Daisy's gaze moved to the floor as her posture relaxed in a slight amount of guilt. All around them, signs of inhabitance was shown; he wasn't the only Koopa down here, hiding.

 _He isn't only protecting himself,_ Daisy thought with a frustrated sigh, knowing he would never admit it.  _He never was._

Daisy frowned. She wanted to argue back and tell him how much of a fool he was, but she held her breath instead, releasing her air like a deflated balloon as she closed her eyes.

"Ignoring those insults of yours, I'll admit you're right...kind of." She looked up at him as he avoided her nosey stare.

"Always am," he grunted.

"But I'm saying that for the kiddos' sake.  _Not_  for you," she added slyly. Before he could scoff, she continued. "But you needta listen to me, big guy. Trust me, I had no idea those two were going to show up."

Bowser opened his mouth to disagree as to who should be listening to who, but Daisy quickly shook her finger as she continued.

"They aren't hired  _yet._  Maybe they won't bother hiring an  _actual_  human. Save that temper of yours for when you need it. Right now, you're just acting like a big ol' idiot, as usual," she lightly teased.

He released a low, yet clearly-angry growl.

"As long as they leave and never show their faces here again, we won't have any issues." Bowser spoke as if he was regretting every word he spat out. He knew he was letting his guard down, but he knew she was right.

* * *

The trio seemed to walk around endlessly, checking behind curtains and pillars, looking for someone or something. The female Koopa had asked several drunk workers for a Koopa named Kamek, but that's as far as the information Peach held reached. Every koopa they asked simply shrugged and kept walking, leaving the three wandering to towards the back of the establishment. It had been about an hour of meaningless wandering, but the three were clearly over it.

As they walked, Peach's father was questioned of his history with the violin and his experience with opera. He calmly answered every question truthfully, stating that he had been playing since he was eleven, and that he had played minor parts in the orchestra of local theaters; he was qualified, but not exceptionally so.

The Koopa, though bitter from their search, nodded in approval of his answers, scribbling down his response word-for-word as they walked. Occasionally, her scribbling would pause, and she would look up at the two.

"You, what exactly do  _you_  do?" The Koopa asked Peach with a judging undertone. She was clearly hoping the two had viable roles. But, for what reason she was so hopeful, the two humans didn't know.

Peach gave a weak, rehearsed smile, hoping her years of 'lady-like' study was paying off. But, the frown that she was met with showed that the Koopa wasn't buying it for one moment.

"I've been singing for as long as I can remember." She spoke in the tone she had rehearsed for hours, making sure to appear as feminine and docile as possible. She cringed, though, knowing this was painful for the both of them. "The theater has always been a second home to me. I would be happy to help out in any way I can."

Peach's eyes drifted to the impressive, yet dark, architecture around her. The further the trio walked, the darker the pigment on the walls seemed to get. It was as if the three were wandering to the heart of the castle-like building, and further away from any light.

She knew the building was simply that: a building. Yet, the walls felt so  _alive._

Peach slightly cringed. Perhaps the Darklands opera house didn't  _look or feel_...inviting and home-like, as the Mushroom Kingdom theater had...but...she felt her blood pump with more intense passion the further she wandered into the building. Whatever caused her mind to race, she wanted to pursue. Whether it was a warning to run away, or to never leave, she didn't know.

All she knew was that something was calling her.

The Koopa rolled her eyes as she suddenly stopped leading the two after scribbling. "Yes,  _you sing_ , that's wonderful," she mocked, knowing very well that there were countless Koopas in the opera house that could also sing. She gazed up between the two humans. "Is that it? Can you act? Understand stage orders? Or can you  _only sing_?"

Both Peach and her father gazed between each other awkwardly as they stood behind their guide.

Peach had never...sung or acted  _professionally_...but her father had always said she had a beautiful voice anytime he heard her! She had auditioned for minor roles before, and had even been an understudy once or twice, but she had never been on such a large stage...let alone  _paid_  to sing and act.

That clearly wasn't enough qualification as their tour guide scowled in disapproval.

The koopa sighed as she rubbed her temple. "Regardless of how  _I_  feel about you two, we'll take you," she mumbled as she gestured to Peach's father with her thumb. "We've been down a violinist for a few days...we're desperate enough to take in a human for this season's shows. But as for  _you_ …"

Peach shifted on her feet as she was clearly getting the poor end of the deal. But, as long as at least one of them were hired, they could hopefully afford a place to stay.

A light 'poof' interrupted their guide as a Koopa in a blue coat suddenly stood before the three. A small amount of shock hid behind his gaze, but went nearly unnoticed by Peach and her father. He sighed as he stared at their guide in disapproval.

This was clearly the Koopa they were looking for.

"K-Kamek! Sir! I was looking for you!" Her tone was suddenly bright and awake as she gazed at her clearly apparent boss. She laughed awkwardly as she gestured to Peach and her father. "We have some... _guests!_  Yes! I wanted to discuss with you about-"

"Didn't you check my office? I had to come find  _you_  after the gossip spread to  _me!_  Thankfully some humans aren't too hard to find," he scolded curiously. He shrugged as he continued and turned towards the two guests. "It's odd for humans to show up,  _especially at a time like this_ , but I guess this works out, huh?" His laugh was high pitched and...annoying, but the three forced a smile. "Follow me, please!"


	3. Approval

Being a human made it difficult to track the group, but her years of living in secrecy made it easy enough, as the Opera house had countless corners and pillars to hide behind. If no one was specifically looking for her, there was very little chance she would be spotted.

The dark, ominous halls were large enough to blend in to, and she was far enough in the building that it wasn't too busy, but her nerves still stood on edge every time a Koopa passed her hiding place.

Daisy nervously bit her nails as she trailed after the group. She cringed as she knew she had done everything to reassure Bowser that the humans would be gone, yet here she was, her doubt growing with every second she listened in on the group's conservation.

The more she listened, the closer the guests creeped dangerously closer to being hired.

She rolled her eyes nearly every time Kamek spoke to the two, not caring for the turtle with an ego big enough to make any of the stars in the building seem modest. Sure, he ran the place, but his methods of doing so made her blood boil. He was as selfish as they came, especially when it came to the funding.

But, she always shrugged off her anger, as the manager was wrapped around the Phantom's finger, just as everyone else that worked here. If Bowser needed to, he could get rid of him at any time he wanted. The idea of Kamek's constant fear of being disposed of made her snicker.

Daisy shook her head as she snapped back into the present. She frowned as she had lingered behind, barely managing to catch up to the group of three as they stood outside a large wooden door. She leaned forward from behind the hallway's corner, barely being able to make out what they were discussing.

They seemed to be mid conservation of skills and experience of sorts, much of which Daisy chose to overlook, purely for the sake of staying awake. Daisy took note of the occasional nods and responses, and, of course, Kamek's irritating laugh, but brushed over the smalltalk.

"Here? Are you sure?"

Daisy gave her full attention towards the group as soon as the young lady had finally spoke. Other than an occasional, 'yes,' or 'of course,' her father had done all of the talking, even speaking over her at times. The fact that she had spoken on her own accord was interesting enough.

Daisy glared at her intently, wishing she had been listening in on the topic.

"Why not?" Kamek questioned with a shrug. "I'll need to listen for me to evaluate you. Your pops' word isn't enough. But,  _mine_  is!" He gave his signature, annoying laugh. "If you wouldn't mind."

Her father awkwardly laughed as Kamek opened the door and let the two in, closing it behind them. It was clear she didn't have a choice but to do what he had asked, whatever that was.

Daisy groaned as she was cut off from any more information, but quickly made her way to the door and pressed her ear against it, attempting to make out any noise from the three. She stood for a few minutes before pulling away.

Nothing.

The young woman contemplated walking away, knowing whatever was going on behind the door was likely just more business talk; information she couldn't care less about, let alone the phantom. She had enough information for Bowser, so she shrugged off whatever was discussed beyond the door.

Besides, it was far too risky to even  _think_  about opening the door! If she was caught, she could easily find herself, and the others, in serious trouble. She loved being adventurous, but even Daisy knew when to take a step back and call it a day.

She turned on her heels away from the door, stretching her arms as she began walking away rather casually. It wasn't worth it.

" _You aren't locked away."_

Bowser's lonely words flashed into her mind, pausing her movements entirely as she gazed over her shoulder towards the mysterious door that lingered in the near distance. It seemed to taunt and beckon to be opened as his words repeatedly echoed.

In his past life, monitoring any changes or suspicious activity was easy. Sure, he maintained his fearful control of the opera house, but that was just a whisper of what he used to be. Now, instead, he was locked away, fearful of the day he would inevitably be caught.

Daisy was his only outlet for the outside world, and his worry was evident. No matter how much he always coated it with anger, he depended on her for reassurance that the Koopalings would be safe.

The phantom was afraid.

She had to admit, two humans showing up at the doorstep of the Dark Lands, looking for work, was as suspicious as anything, especially at a time like this. But, why did it warrant so much fear from him? Why was he so... _worried?_  It wasn't as if he couldn't kill the two. Hell, the two couldn't kill  _him!_

Daisy stopped. The reasoning behind his concern was not a factor. The fact that he was worried was reason enough to gather any and all information for him. She owed him a sense of feeling secure of what was going on beyond his eyes.

She held her breath as she turned around.

_Fine, fine, dummy, I'll listen in_ , Daisy thought to herself with a sigh.  _Just so you don't throw another one of your signature hissy fits, alright?_

Daisy blew her bangs out of her face as she confidently strode back from where she had come. This time, she didn't need to sneak, as the hallway was empty. Her eyes never left the door as she speedily walked towards it, fully intent on finding out what was going on, and whether or not the girl was hired.

She placed her arm against the door's cold surface as her free hand gently held the silver handle, creeping it downward ever-so-slightly. With a slight 'click,' she pushed the door open an inch, letting the light of the hallway fill the dark room.

She cringed, knowing the light was clearly evident, but sighed as the group didn't seem to care or even notice. Two silhouettes silently stood facing the blonde woman, their backs lit up from the hallway's light, making the girl's face light up entirely. It was as if a miniature spotlight had landed on her during her performance, making the two stand in even more awe than before.

Daisy froze as her face paled.

The group stared intently at the blonde woman, her voice now spilling into the hallway. Daisy was not a musical protege, but even she could understand why the two were stunned.

"Shoot," she bitterly muttered as she clenched her hands against the door's handle. "Bowsy isn't gonna be happy about this."

_Her voice was beautiful._

* * *

Peach's heart raced as she clenched her hands to her chest. It had taken so long, yet ended so quickly.

She was hired at the Dark Lands opera house.

Kamek seemed skeptical all throughout his intrusive questions. He asked of their background, history, and intentions, even going so far as to ask extremely personal questions. Peach knew of the war between Koopas and Humans, but hadn't expected his questions to be so...blunt.

He seemed wary of their intentions and was clearly skeptical of their position in the war.

Spies weren't uncommon on both sides of the war, so Peach brushed off his bluntness and knew it wasn't personal. She understood the terrors of war, and didn't hold him accountable for his doubts. She would be lying if she said she didn't have any...biases or worries of Koopas.

Yet, all of that changed as soon as he asked her to sing.

The idea of war had melted away the second he had asked and was instead replaced with the language of music. Instead of an interrogation, the two sat in silence as Peach had sung, easing away any doubts the party had held.

And, with that, she had been given the lead human role. She was overjoyed, but knew the opera house had very...limited options when it came to human casting.

But, she wasn't one to complain. After all, her and her father had a place to stay for the time being.

Kamek had taken Peach to a small, elegantly-decorated room, filled with a large mirror that took up an entire wall of the room. Several dark pillars occupied each corner of the room, and a large bed, clearly made for large Koopas, decorated with a thick, dark blanket, as well as pillows, sat in the center. A large vanity rested beside it, and was black and decorated with a golden rose pattern.

Countless bottles of perfume and several brushes sat orderly on the vanity, leaving just enough room for one to get ready. Out of all of the chaos that was in the Dark Lands, this orderly little table felt out-of-place and made the girl smile.

It was refreshing to have something feel...planned.

Peach gently brushed her hand across a few of the golden brushes, feeling their expensive bristles tickle her palms. She had never been around, let alone even felt,  _anything_  near this expensive. Was this what it was like to be wealthy? Buying such unnecessary things such as perfume and makeup? She envied such a careless lifestyle as she removed her hand from its surface.

Peach sighed as she pulled out the single chair and sat down in front of the vanity's mirror, taking in the image of herself in the mirror. Her hair rested over her shoulders and remained silky. Yet, her clothes were...questionable. The fabric was cheap and scratchy, but it was all she could afford.

_She did not look like she was suited for this opera house._

She twisted her hair, feeling a pinch of insecurity the more she evaluated herself. She  _really_  didn't look like she was suited! She was  _human!_  It was a surprise that the furniture could even accommodate her! Did they...expect a human?

A sudden, quick nock echoed off the large room, startling Peach up from the chair and away from the vanity's mirror. After a few moments, the dark door opened, revealing a small koopa with a blue shell, his hands filled to the brim with a neat stack of papers that obscured his view.

"Evening, miss!" The koopa called out with a squeaky voice from behind the papers, wobbling his way into the room and closing the door with his foot. He fixed his grip on the papers before speaking from behind them. "I hope I'm not disturbing-"

As quickly as he had entered, the Koopa stumbled forward over an out-of-place book, hopping for a few moments, before throwing all of the papers in the air as he fell. A loud, squeaky yelp filled the room as Peach rushed forward to catch a handful of the papers. Most of the sheets slowly drifted to the floor as the horrified Koopa sat up and rubbed his head.

"Well, I'd lie if I said that wasn't distracting," Peach said with an awkward smile as she handed the Koopa the small stack of papers she had managed to grab. "But, I suppose some company is refreshing now and then. Are you okay?"

The Koopa sighed as he grabbed the girl's hand and clumsily stood up. Peach fumbled with his surprising amount of weight, but quickly composed herself as he released her hand.

"I'm okay," he reassured with a sigh. "But, your script isn't."

Peach's face paled as she gazed around the room, realizing all of these pages belonged to her. She bent down to her knees, picked up a random sheet, and sure enough, it was a script. She gulped, imagining having to memorize so much.

The Koopa gave a small laugh as he noticed Peach's worry.

"Nono, miss! Most of that is what  _others_  say. You don't speak  _too_  much. Mostly sing," he reassured with a shrug, ignoring Peach's confused expression. Why wouldn't a main role speak? "They just thought that you should overlook the whole plot, yanno? For you to ' _get into character.'_ "

"That's very thoughtful," she cautiously stated as she stood back up, leaving an awkward silence as the two glanced at the papers surrounding them.

After a few moments of silence, the Koopa smacked his hands together before grabbing one paper at a time, gazing at the page number, and putting it in order. He clumped together 10 pages before Peach sighed, bent down, and helped her company.

* * *

The Koopalings were nearly dying from laughter as they leaned against the wall for support. A few of them sat on the floor, grabbing their stomachs as they wheezed between laughs.

They faced a large window hidden within the mirror, showing everything that had just happened. The Koopalings were unable to stop laughing as they replayed the memory.

The group's laughter would calm down for a moment, then get even louder when someone snickered and remembered what had just happened, causing an outbursts of laughs to fill the hall. They sat there, laughing, long after the two inside the room had cleaned up the paper, leaving the woman sitting alone as she stared at her sections of the scripts.

"That was...awesome!" A small Koopa with rainbow hair cried out as he clutched his sides.

"Yanno, that was meant for the lady, not that clumsy idiot," another deeper voice pitched in, recovering from laughing.

"So what? Was pretty funny." Junior shrugged.

The group's laughter suddenly stopped, all except for the rainbow-haired Koopa's, as another silhouette stood next to the collapsed trouble makers. His gaze was enough to shut the group up.

"You fools truly find something this childish and trivial... _entertaining?_ " The pompous Koopa questioned, tapping his foot in disapproval. Lemmy was elbowed in the side by Wendy, instantly silencing any trace of laughter.

The Koopas gazed at each other.

"Whadya mean, Ludwig? That was comedy cold! You blind or somethin'?" Roy questioned.

Ludwig scoffed. "I am clearly able to see your idiocy! Father may disapprove of the human, but don't interfere with her contribution to her part. She mustn't mess up if this is going to be successful." He glared at Junior specifically. "We face enough trouble without you gremlins interfering."

The rest of the Koopas groaned, knowing he was clearly the only one who cared about whether or not this play was considered 'good.'

"What? Are you bein' serious?" Junior questioned as they quieted down. "Dad's super angry! Messin' with her is the least we can do. Maybe even scare her away, yanno?"

Ludwig scowled.

"Father may be... _unhappy,_  but he won't interfere with this act's success.  _As long as she stays in line_ , father is unable to touch her." He paused as the other Koopas groaned, not happy that the human would be stuck around. Shaking his head, he continued. "Father may be a brute, but he will patiently wait for a reason to dispose of her. You pestering the play's progression is not helping her  _or_  our father."

The Koopas sat in silence for a few minutes, digesting what their brother had said. Would their father really play so...fairly? Of course, the disappearance of a new actress would bring up suspicion of the Phantom, and lead Koopas to venture beneath, so it would be smart to back off and let her month of fame go by.

But, since when did their father play by rules? Why was he so cautious with a human? Rules never stopped him from... _disposing_  of others that threatened their safety.

Wendy rolled her eyes. "You've always been a major buzzkill," she mumbled. "But, you, like, have a point."

Ludwig smiled, his expression cocky and pleased; he knew he was right.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. A stupid idiot is bound to be right sometimes," Morton grumbled as he crossed his arms. "But what do we do now then, huh?"

"Perhaps do what father actually ordered you fools to do?" Ludwig questioned with a roll of his eyes. He would happily do their jobs for them, but he was already far too occupied with  _actual_ work, regarding the theater.

They all stared blankly, knowing that they weren't going to do what they were told for much longer.

" _Yeah, yeah._ We gotta watch the girl, huh? Make sure she doesn't get into trouble? I guess that isn't too boring," Iggy stated with a sarcastic shrug. Ludwig nodded in approval. "And shouldn't you be off doing your musical...stuff? Seems like we aren't the only ones slacking, huh?"

Wendy snickered as Lugwig's face morphed into annoyance. He stared at each Koopa, hoping someone would defend him. Meeting stares of amusement, he turned back to Iggy with his claws clenched.

"I - Well - I needed to check on-" his words were flustered and choppy as he tried to defend himself. After a few moments of trying to form a full sentence, he threw his arms up in the air. "Fine! Fine, fine! I'm off," he stated bitterly, stomping in the direction he had come from. His mumbling was loud enough for the Koopas to hear, but the words he used flew right over their heads.

Once he had turned the corner, the Koopalings rolled their eyes in unison.

"It's not like we weren't, like, watching her," Wendy stated with a shrug. The other Koopalings nodded in agreement as they turned away from Ludgwig's shadow in the distance. "We were just... _yanno_...making it interesting!"

"Yeah!" Lemmy chimed in with a grin. "It's not like we were going to lose her! What's wrong with having some fun?"

Roy sighed. "Speakin' of fun. I'm done here," he muttered as he stretched his arms. He hopped up and took off in the direction Ludwig had wandered off in. "You nerds have fun."

They all mumbled in agreement as they calmly walked away from the secret window, abandoning their duties. They had done their job, in their eyes, so they headed off to focus on their own personal activities.

* * *

Peach sat alone on the large bed, staring at the single sheet of the script in her hands. She attempted to read through the words, but found herself having to reread the page over and over, as she would blank out and forget everything.

The words she tried to process were replaced with the conservation she had had with Kamek and her father, and even the sass of their guide. She played the situation through back and forth, analyzing what had happened, and why it had happened.

Why had she been so...fortunate? Why was this so simple?

The further she searched for an answer, she was met with more questions.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered. "I should be happy. Why am I worrying over something like this?"

With a grunt of frustration, Peach flopped backwards onto her bed, releasing the sheet of paper to her side as she stretched. A sudden wave of exhaustion swept over her as she leaned into the luxurious fabric, eager to have a suitable bed for the first time in months.

She didn't realize how tense she had been.

Peach pulled one of the large pillows out of its place and hugged it gently. Its silky surface quickly pulled her worry away and replaced it with a thick haze of exhaustion as she leaned her cheeks into the pillow's embrace.

And with that, she was asleep, but she wasn't alone.

* * *

_**A/N:** _ _Part three done! I'm getting so antsy to post these chapters because I have so many answers to the questions that're brought up! Hopefully you guys can wait! Thank you so much for reading! If you've enjoyed, it would mean the world to me if you reviewed!_


	4. Nightmare

Peach stood alone in one of the large corridors within the opera house. All lights were off, and any traces of lava had dried up, all except for a few embers dancing on its cracked surface; it was dark, yet the remaining light was just enough for her to make out the shapes of the pillars and architecture around her.

The obsidian red and purple stones reflected the slightly-red hue from the dried lava, and the marble floors further spread the dull light, just enough for Peach to make out the nearby walls and the paintings that covered their surface. She shuddered as she turned her attention away from the realistic paintings, as the eyes of the Koopas seemed to track her every move, almost observing her intentions.

At one point, Peach had swore she had seen one of them blink.

The gothic interior of the opera house was unsettling when dark and empty, but Peach did not feel any fear, nor did she try to run away. Instead, she remained still, gazing down the long corridor, looking; anxiously anticipating something that would take away this feeling of dread.

What she was waiting for, she couldn't grasp an answer. Was she  _afraid?_ Excited? Both? Instead of finding out herself, she waited for the answer to show itself. She wanted;  _yearned_  for the solution to her anxiousness to come out.

Peach held onto her sides as she tried to conserve heat, the usually-hot Dark Lands becoming colder by the second as the remaining lava hardened. The light slowly began fading with the heat as Peach started to shiver, her breath now white and a thick haze as her lungs froze with the chilly air.

Suddenly, the walls seemed to crack and contort around her. The main cracks broke off into smaller veins before the entire corridor was consumed with the cracks. After a few moments, the surface shattered into small fragments, the shards landing around her feet. Peach gasped in fright, but remained still.

The paintings broke off the walls, suddenly a glass-like material, too, as they hit the floor and shattered. Even when broken and shattered into countless pieces, the eyes of the paintings continued following her as the fragments rested at her feet. Their gazes widened in excitement before Peach stomped on them out of shock, wanting nothing more than their gazes to disappear.

With her breathing fast and her hands clenched, Peach rubbed her shoe into the last of the glass painting shards, crushing the debris, thankful to be rid of the blood-curdling stares. She fixed her footing as the crunching showed that she had effectively freed herself from their gazes.

Looking up from the bits of glass, Peach was met with an empty darkness where the walls used to be. Her eyes widened in shock before looking back towards where the shards were, meeting that familiar darkness instead of the polished floor. She stood in a void of nothing.

Suddenly, those judging paintings didn't seem so awful

Peach gently swung her legs side to side, trying to maneuver herself around the dark area. The sound of her ruffling dress broke the silence, but that's all her movement seemed to do. She couldn't tell if she was moving, but it felt more productive than floating alone.

Alone? Was she truly alone?

Peach felt a rush of paranoia as she froze in place. The earlier stares left her feeling...vulnerable as she realized anything and anyone could be waiting for their time to strike. She gazed from left to right as she met nothing. Yet, the absence of anything was just as fearful.

As if reading her thoughts, a single, dark claw roughly grabbed onto her small wrist, just as black as the space around her. The claw was clearly attached to a body, but the darkness kept that form hidden away within its grasp. The stranger's strength was evident, yet its grasp was oddly-gentle as it held her in place. Was she not going to be harmed?

She attempted to pull away, but the form did not budge with her.

" _Stay out,_ " the bitter voice spat. His voice was low and almost a growl, making Peach squeak in surprise. The source of his voice seemed to echo throughout the space; It was as if his words were in her head all together. His grip slightly increased, causing Peach to slightly fumble forward. "You are not to-"

The two froze, the shadow nearly choking on his words. This voice was incredibly familiar to Peach, and not in a positive way; it made fear rush through her as memories threatened to come back to her. Had she heard this monster before? Why was he here? What did he mean?

As soon as she got close to an answer, she would forget what she was trying to remember.

As for the shadowy figure, Peach remained unknowing of why he, too, froze. His face was hidden and unreadable, but she could have sworn his grip had loosened.

Peach slightly parted her lips, curiosity replacing fear as she was trapped by the creature. Though, his grip was loose enough to where she could have pulled away if she wished. Yet, she remained in place, not wanting him to disappear, simply out of curiosity. Peach reached forward with her free hand, trying to feel for any form, but her hand simply swished through the cold darkness.

He was too far away.

Peach cussed under her breath as she pulled her free hand back to her side.

"Who... _what_  are you? Have I seen you before?" Her voice was calm and skeptical as she glared at the hidden stranger. The further she squinted her eyes, she swore she could make out a large frame. Whatever this was, it wasn't a human. "You're strangely familiar."

The voice released a deep, venomous laugh as the form seemed to lean forward in cocky entertainment. His murderous tone from earlier was replaced with pure amusement with her lack of fear.

"Now, why would I tell you that? You aren't exactly in a position to be asking questions."

She sighed as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. Why did the monster that held her captive have to be so snippy and difficult? Why couldn't it be a basic ghost or demon that wanted to talk about their evil plans? That wanted to boast?

"You're frustrating," she muttered. She felt an odd resentment for whoever this was, but the fact that she could tell that he wouldn't harm her left her eager to stick up for herself. "Even for a shadowy figure, you're quite bad company."

"I'm not here to be compliant," he muttered, his entertained tone replaced with bitterness. He continued, clearly aware of his purpose in the first place. "You are not to venture beneath the opera house," he continued in a demanding, bitter tone. He leaned in, attempting to intimidate the girl, but she remained still. He released a small growl as he realized she was anything but intimidated. "If you even  _consider_ disobeying-"

The monster was cut off as a loud knocking sound echoed through the void. A grunt, followed by a barely-audible ' _damn it_ ,' left the shadow as he released her arm.

Peach parted her lips to question her company, but paused as his invisible glare intensified, signaling her to stop. Peach obeyed, not knowing why.

"Time's up."

* * *

Daisy sighed as she stood beside the sleeping girl, analyzing her sleeping expression in hopes of deciphering what was going on inside her head. Every time Bowser demanded Kammy's 'assistance', Daisy was always roped into the process to monitor the tricky hag's true intentions.

Kammy's spells hadn't failed them yet, but she was known for her...questionable intentions.

However, Daisy felt reassured as Peach's eyes started squinting every now and then in her sleep as her breathing increased. Either Peach was having a very unpleasant nightmare, or she was experiencing and talking to just who they wanted.

"Should do the trick," the elderly Koopa stated nonchalantly, noticing the same symptoms. She floated downward and tapped the sleeping girl's shoulder, earning a slight groan. Kammy released a small 'hmm' before continuing. "I'd say he has roughly an hour at best. She's a tough one."

Daisy shrugged before placing her hands on her hips. "Shouldn't be an issue. Your client isn't exactly going to let this go to waste. If he complains, I'll whack some sense into him."

Kammy snickered as she looked towards the woman in a sinister approval.

"Glad to hear it. Make sure to throw in an extra hard swing in my regard."

Daisy smirked with a nod.

"Gotcha, but only if ya-"

Her face paled as a loud knock echoed from the bedroom's door. The two did several doubletakes between each other and the door, Daisy's expression filled with panic and Kammy's amusement. The two finally landed their gazes on Peach as a second knock brought them back into reality.

"Your friend's cut off. Have fun with  _that_ ," Kammy hissed through clenched teeth as she gestured towards the door with a nod of her head. With one final glare towards her, Kammy lifted her wrinkly hand and snapped, poofing out of the room to safety.

Daisy was alone.

"Oh no, no,  _no,_  this is bad, this is  _super_  bad," she muttered under her breath with a clear amount of panic. She tried to move, but her legs hesitated as she didn't know  _where_  to go or  _what_  to do in this situation.

After evaluating several hiding spaces that she couldn't fit into, let alone wanted to, her eyes landed on the large mirror in the corner of the room that reflected her terrified expression. Without thinking, Daisy pushed up her sleeves as she hurried over to her only hope.

Daisy pressed her palms against the slick, cold surface, pushing all of her body weight against it as the mirror slightly creaked and held its ground. After a few moments, a subtle click echoed as the mirror pushed open, revealing a slim corridor.

Daisy hadn't noticed the click as she fell into the hidden hallway behind the mirror, her earlier force easily landing her on her bottom.

Ignoring the pain, Daisy rushed to her feet as she pulled the mirror back into its original position, the same click shutting her off from the bedroom. For the first time in her life, she was thankful to have the outside world replaced with the familiar basement.

She was safe within the labyrinth.

"Looks so easy when the kiddos do it," she muttered as she rubbed her lower back. She stretched her arms as she closed her eyes in content, aching from the fall. "I'll have to ask them to give me a backrub."

A muffled groan of annoyance came from beyond the mirror. But, Daisy remained stretching as she casually glanced over her shoulder through the one-way glass. With a wall separating the human from the room, she didn't feel any bit of fear.

"Toadstool!" The voice cried in frustration as the intruder hovered above the sleeping girl. Daisy groaned as she noticed the company was the last person she wanted to see; Kamek. Walking closer towards the mirror, she leaned in to see if Kammy's usual spell had done its work.


	5. Curiosity

A dull, red-tinted light lit up a large room, resonating from countless candles laid throughout the study. The stone walls were covered with notes and scribbles, many of which were scratched out or torn as to hide something the writer had hastily noted. Several large chairs sat in front of a large fireplace, the pit dry with a few embers in its surface.

A large piano sat in the corner of the room, its surface covered in scratches and clear signs of rage. Beneath it, a large carpet stretched across the room, embroidered with a symbol that was hidden beneath a scattered mess of papers.

Bowser stood in the center of the study, papers and scrolls stacked throughout the room. Due to his constant, nervous pacing, his tail had knocked over several stacks that had covered sections of the large room.

Each scroll that was scattered across the room had a large red stamp on it with a wax seal, some with mushroom symbols, and some with other signs of rivaling kingdoms. Some had unraveled, revealing urgent letters that had been locked away from the public.

He was well aware of the mess he had made, and of the sorting he would have to do to fix the mess, but his mind was set on more important issues, regarding his little  _talk_  with the brat. Bowser groaned as their conversation played through his head for the tenth time.

Kammy's spells had never failed him until now. Even if he had been cut off by some outside force, Bowser had always had enough time to get his message across to whomever he tormented for the night. Whether it be Kamek's dreams he slipped into, and him demanding a higher cut of money for himself, or a dancer who wouldn't stop distracting the male actors that needed to be set straight, Bowser was never failed to have his demands met with the use of fear.

The infamous phantom was  _always_  able to bring fear into workers to keep them in line, while making demands, without actually exposing himself and endangering his identity; he was easily able to manipulate his pawns from a safe distance.

Yet, he had failed on both parts; he was unable to frighten the girl, let alone get his warning across.

Hell, he could have sworn she had...recognized him. If anything, she was more likely to do exactly what he had told her  _not_ to do, out of pure curiosity. The idea of her knowing who he was made his heart jump, which only made his temper scorch even higher.

"Damn that girl.  _Damn her!_ " Bowser hissed through clenched teeth, a puff of smoke escaping his nose. He pushed back his mane with his claw, taking in a deep breath to calm himself. "I could recognize that damn voice anywhere."

Even with her being just a shadowy figure of which he couldn't see, he knew it was her. The second he had entered her dreams, he could  _feel_  her. When she had spoken to him, his suspicions were confirmed, and his blood had ran cold.

Having new humans, besides the few actors in the Opera house, stick their noses where they didn't belong made the Koopa anxious beyond all belief. And the fact that it had to be  _her_ , out of everyone on the damn planet, made his blood run cold. How was his life so... _ironic?_

He sighed. Out of everyone, he knew Peach was a smart, cunning girl, aside from her stubbornness. She was not ignorant enough as to go where she was not welcome for the sake of answering her questions. But, he frowned once again, knowing very well that she would find other means of gaining information.

Information that she had no right to know of.

Bowser paused his pacing as his thoughts were interrupted by a slight, barely-audible scuttering at the entrance of his study. The light footsteps had abruptly stopped, resulting in a groan of frustration from the larger koopa.

"Ludwig," he hissed in annoyance, knowing only his eldest would be so god awful at sneaking around. "I never took you for the eavesdropping type.  _What exactly do you need?_ "

His eldest son awkwardly poked his head through the doorway, flashing a forced smile followed by a small wave.

His grin faded as he noticed the scattered letters, no longer in their orderly piles and stacks. Ludwig cringed as the lack of order made his eye twitch in clear horror, but he shook himself out of it. He returned his gaze to his father, but his eyes would occasionally shift towards the papers.

"...I apologize, father," he shyly muttered from the doorway, "but my brothers have abandoned their posts. I assumed it would be best if you knew." Ludwig gulped as he realized this wasn't a good time for such a comment as Bowser frowned.

_Peach was unattended?_ Bowser's heart pounded as his anxiousness doubled. He feared for her  _and_  her curiosity. Yet, his composure remained solid as ever, as he covered it in anger.

" _Well,_  you're on wench-watching duty now, then," Bowser stated coldly with a nonchalant wave of his claw, almost trying to brush away his son and his worries. His father was clearly dealing with a more important matter, but Ludwig simply sighed as he had somehow avoided a loud scolding. "I'll handle the brats later. Just make sure our...our two  _guests_  stay in line."

Ludwig gave a toothy grin, satisfied with his siblings getting their punishments.

"You can count on me, father!" He paused for a small salut. "The two humans wouldn't dare disobey you. If so, I  _guarantee_  you'll have fun scorching them to ash!" Ludwig turned on his heel, heading out through the doorway with a confident smile on his face. If his siblings were so incompetent as to not monitor the humans, he would do everything in his power to show them up.

His son had attempted to reassure his father, even going so far as to bring up violence, yet had done exactly the opposite as he left his father in a pool of boiling frustration. Bowser winced at the suggestion of harming Peach, and perhaps even her father, even in the slightest. Would he truly be able to do such a thing if they happened to disobey his orders?

How could he control someone with fear when he couldn't even find himself able to harm them?

* * *

Peach's hair laid on the large bed, spreading out and covering the sheets around her. A heavy, velvety pillow rested in her hands as her legs curled into her chest, gently securing the pillow against herself. She slept without the large bed's blankets, but thankfully the Dark Lands' constant, lava-fueled heating system left her comfortable as she slept.

Yet, her face was contorted into an uncomfortable frown as her hands roughly grasped the pillow's fabric. She would occasionally mutter something unintelligible under her breath, as if having a conversation with someone, but continued to remain fully asleep.

Even the loud knocking and annoyed calls from the hallway didn't disturb the young woman as she was locked away in her dream. She was...quite  _occupied_  with someone else who wasn't allowing her to wake up just yet.

However, she didn't rest alone for long. Soon after the knocks had subsided, a gentle poof broke the silence as Kamek floated in the middle of the room, angrily tapping his wand with his free hand in annoyance.

He sighed as he noticed the girl sleeping. At least she hadn't been purposely ignoring him.

"I hope you  _do_  realize that locking out your boss isn't exactly  _professional!_ " He huffed to himself. However, he was only met with a slight grunt as Peach casually flipped sides and faced away from the Magikoopa.

Kamek frowned as he hopped to the direction she was facing, inches away from her face as he squinted his eyes. He frowned even further in frustration as her eyes remained shut, unknowing of his presence.

Upon closer inspection, he could see her mouthing words and breathing rather heavily. Her forehead was damp with a thin layer of sweat and her body seemed tense. Kamek hummed slightly, somewhat concerned, before realization hit him.

_The phantom._

Kamek nearly yelped as he took half a step backwards, knowing exactly what she was holding within her mind. He almost tripped over his feet as he stumbled backwards, terrified of the monster she was hosting within her dream.

However, his fear was quickly replaced with bitterness as he grinded his teeth together. Rolling up his sleeve, Kamek lifted up his wand and gently bumped Peach on the head, a little harder than he had needed to. His questionable method had instantly done the trick, as Peach's eyes finally opened in shock.

Kamek sighed in anxious victory.

"You're  _needed_  at rehearsal! I'm assuming you looked over your script?" He spoke bitterly but remained as professional as possible. His voice was lined in a slight amount of panic, but it was easily brushed under the rug as Peach was barely awake.

Peach rubbed her eyes as she sat up, her head slightly pounding from a random pain on her head that she couldn't identify. She understood Kamek's words, but was too groggy to respond.

However, after a long yawn, Peach felt fully awake as her memories rapidly rushed back to her. Everything that had happened while she slept crashed over her as any sign of being tired was replaced with an intrigued frown. She fumbled her hands in her lap as she tried to understand what she had dreamt of, and who that figure was.

Why did she recognize him?

Peach shook her head as she realized she had ignored not only her company, but the koopa that had  _hired_  her. She flashed an awkward, apologetic smile as she stood up, dusting off her dress.

"Yes, I made sure to read as much of it as i could." She paused for a confused sigh. "I just...fell asleep out of nowhere. I guess I didn't realize how exhausted I was."

A twinge of panic ran through Kamek's expression as his eye twitched, but he continued trying to hold his composure. Peach tilted her head in confusion, easily seeing through his weak attempt at hiding his reaction.

"I suppose that's understandable. The trip to the Dark Lands must have been...draining." He forced a smile. "You were bound to fall asleep eventually."

Peach hesitated before nodding. Was that truly the only reason she had dreamt of that figure? She rubbed her arm as she felt rather...cold and distant about such an underwhelming explanation.

Kamek cleared his throat. "Now!" He stated a bit loudly, clasping his hands together. "As I said, you're needed for rehearsal." He extended his arm, eager for her to take it and teleport the two to where the others were impatiently waiting. Noticing her hesitation, the elder furrowed his brow. "Shall we?"

Peach reached out to grab the magikoopa's hand, but lingered just above his grasp before pulling her hand away, frowning. She stared at her hand for a few moments before it fell to her side. She returned her gaze to her company, who was clearly nervous about her hesitation.

"Kamek, I need you to answer some questions before we go," she whispered with a frown. Kamek gulped as she paused. She sighed before continuing. "I had a dream that...worried me about the opera house. I know,  _it was just a dream!_  But, I still feel worrisome as to what it meant."

Peach cringed as she realized how ridiculous she had sounded.

Kamek groaned as he sat on the edge of the bed, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. He swung his wand between his two hands, doing his best to avoid the girl's deducing eyes.

"It was  _just_  a dream, Toadstool," he stated in the most casual tone he could muster.

Peach stood still as she frowned at his underwhelming answer. She fixed her footing, not realizing she had been leaning forwards in anticipation.

Had it truly been a dream? The figure who had made her heart stop in a familiar fear, yet enticing intriguement, was a figure of her imagination? He had never existed in the first place?

Her eyes wandered away from Kamek fiddling with his wand as she examined herself in the mirror. She looked at her right arm's wrist, seeing no sign of her ghost's violent grip. Yet, there was unlikely to be any sign, as he had held her so delicately, as if she would have shattered if he had even used any pressure.

That was on the off chance that he had even existed.

Peach knew that her experience, whatever it was with that creature, was not pleasant. If anything, her body's initial reaction to his touch was to pull away. Yet, even so, she felt compelled to stay, going so far as to stay in his grip when she could have pulled away whenever she wanted. Whether or not he was real, the familiar fear she felt with him was not a fabrication.

All she knew was that she had heard his voice before. The low, heavy tone that was closer to a growl at some points was at the back of her head, locked away. Perhaps she had met him on the street, or said hi to him once or twice. She was digging for anything to connect the dots, but was left blank.

She shivered as she remembered her ghost's demand and how low his voice had been, and how his demand had seemed as if it held a threat. Though, it wasn't out of fear, but an emotion she couldn't quite place her finger on.

He spoke darkly of his warning, telling her to not venture below the opera house.

She furrowed her brow. The Dark Lands opera house was a global hit, yet any mention of the underground area had never even come up! Hell, she didn't even know there was another level to the massive building.

"Tell me," she whispered with a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes. "What's beneath the opera house?"

Kamek paused as he choked on his words, nearly falling off the bed. His wand fell on the stone floor with a loud crash, but the two didn't dare break eye contact as they tried to read each other's intentions.

" _No one_  is beneath the opera house! Don't ask such a ridiculous question!" He cried out in shock before clearing his throat and composing himself.

Peach crossed her arms.

"I never said  _anyone_  was," she hummed with a satisfied, barely-noticeable smirk. Kamek's annoyed horror only made her silent curiosity grow. "That's all I needed to know."

Internally, Peach was buzzing with countless questions about her mysterious ghost and of his identity. Kamek clearly held onto far more information than the tiny, insignificant thing he had indirectly revealed.

At least, for the time being, she knew he was here; where he told her to never go.

Peach parted her lips, eager to ask another question or two, before Kamek raised his hand to silence the girl.

" _Please,_  Peach, just stay in line." Kamek sighed, a shocking amount of genuine care and concern in his tone. "I understand that our people aren't…" He winced. "...on the  _best_  of terms, but I want the  _best_  for you and our production. And the  _best_  for you is up here, not down there. Do you understand?"

Peach froze the second Kamek had called her by her first name for the first time. Was the controlling, greedy Kamek...caring enough as to worry about a random human? Or perhaps he simply wanted his show to be successful?

Or, was he afraid of the ghost himself?

Either way, Peach felt an odd amount of compassion well up inside of her as she realized the elder had at least one redeeming quality. She decided that she, oddly enough, liked the koopa.

Peach bent down and grabbed Kamek's hands, issuing a silent thank you before slightly tilting her head.

"I shouldn't have brought it up," she whispered with a twinge of regret. "I understand that...the Dark Lands are different. Even your  _secrets_  are different. I'll respect that and keep my nose out of it. Promise."

Kamek smiled, thankful that he had hired such a wise young woman. But, he was still a bit wary if she would even keep her word. Peach, herself, was silently cursing herself for making a promise she desperately didn't want to keep.

"Curiosity makes you want to bend the rules," the elder chuckled as he held her hands. "But it's best you forget about anything you dreamt. For your sake."

Peach nodded with a thin smile, but knew she would not forget the conversation she had with her ghost, or the feeling of fearful familiarity she held with him. If anything, she would hold on to such feelings until she was reunited with the one who had haunted her dream.

She didn't know when or how, but she knew she would see him again.

She had to.


	6. Rehearsal

Soon after Kamek's kind words, the two had left her room for rehearsal. The elderly koopa had teleported the two backstage with an obnoxious puff of smoke, finding themselves surrounded by the stage workers messing with the lighting systems and other props.

Unlike the rest of the opera house, the stage was made out of a polished dark wood with obsidian pillars resting on each side of the large platform. The pillars were engraved with some sort of crest, but it had been scratched out to a point where it was nearly impossible to make out.

Peach furrowed her brow as she noticed the out-of-place vandalism.

She hummed in curiosity as she ran her fingers across the indents and gashes painted on the stone. The large pillar was cold and rough to the touch, especially from the abuse. The cuts ran far deeper than she would have imagined. What were they trying to erase?

Peach's eyes turned towards her bare hand as it rested in its center. She pulled her hand away and observed the single ring that rested on her hand, eyeing it with mixed emotions.

It was a simple, ashy-black band that was the perfect fit for her finger. The dark color clashed with her pale hands and caused many greedy Koopas to sneak a glance at the shining jewel in its center. The gem was a large, sparkling ruby with an elegant golden pattern of roses surrounding the expensive piece of jewelry.

The inside of the ring, though hidden while being worn, was engraved. In the fanciest font Peach had ever seen, it read,

_To my darling Peachy._

Though Peach had initially viewed the gift as some sort of expensive tool in winning her heart from a secret admirer, the man had never shown himself. In fact, no one had even come forward to even  _claim_  that it was from them. She had always had plenty of wealthy suitors throughout her life, but none of them had even recognized the ring.

It was odd for someone to pour so much money into a gift without coming forward. She had assumed, at first, that it could have been a mixup, seeing as it was Christmas at the time and gifts were bound to get shuffled. Yet, seeing the words on the inside proved otherwise.

After a few months of the ring sitting on her nightstand, she began wearing it in hopes of her admirer coming forward so she could thank him properly. And, over time, she began always wearing it out of both guilt and curiosity. In fact, it rarely ever left her finger as she came to appreciate it.

Eventually, her admirer had started almost always leaving a letter on her nightstand for three years. Occasionally, he would miss the unspoken schedule and send the note late with an apology. The letters almost always consisted of kind and detailed confessions, or comments on her hobbies and activities.

They were often so lovely and compassionate that Peach couldn't find herself able to part with them. So, instead, she had kept them all. Locked away from her father, of course.

At times, she would leave a note of her own in its place on her night stand for him to receive. How his notes had reached her house, and how he got hers, she had no idea. To most women, the idea of a strange admirer knowing of your location might be a red flag, but Peach felt no danger of the man knowing of her house at the time. The two actively held kind conversations, many of which Peach looked forward to.

At times, she would even stay up, hoping to meet her faceless friend properly. Yet, she would always inevitably fall asleep and wake up to the note in its usual place, sometimes with a small gift.

Their exchange had started monthly, but quickly became weekly, and eventually became an almost-nightly exchange for several years to a point where she had considered him a friend.

Yet, the notes had abruptly ended two years ago. Without a sign, years went by without him. She had always silently hoped that wearing the ring would signal him to come back, but she had quickly assumed he had forgotten.

Peach frowned as her thoughts had wandered far too much.

Pulling her hand back to her side, she looked upwards, desperate to change her mind's focus.

The pillars held up the impressive loft above. An occasional stagehand could be seen skipping across its bridges as they hopped down the stairs to the main floor. A Koopatroopa with a bright green shell nervously rushed past Peach as he wiped his brow. Had he done something just in time?

Peach stood in amusement before, suddenly, all of the chattering and sliding of props had slowly faded. She stood awkwardly as she gazed at each of the Koopas, trying to analyze why all of the chaos had stopped.

As if on cue, a large boom of music echoed through the backstage. Peach nearly yelped, but composed herself as she sighed. The Koopas began moving again, though quieter and the chattering had come to a complete stop.

The music continued booming and drained out any outside sounds; practice had begun.

Peach headed to the right side of the stage's entrance to sneak in some views of what it was like to perform on such a large stage. She gently grabbed the curtain's velvety fabric and peaked through the crack, the bright lights nearly blinding her.

She used her other hand to shield her eyes before they finally focused and rested on the two actors' silhouettes facing one another.

Two humans could be seen singing and performing on stage, which caught Peach off guard.  _Humans?_

The acoustics of the large stage allowed their voices to reach what seemed to be everywhere! Their voices were so powerful that it had even overshadowed the orchestra. She wouldn't' be surprised if she could hear the singing from the other side of the opera house.

A tall woman sang towards a shorter man. Her voice was modern and seductive while the other actor's was quite deep and kind. The woman's lyrics seemed to be devious and of betrayal, while the man sung of his loyalty.

Peach sighed as she wished she had read more of the script to understand what scene was going on, let alone what was even  _going on_  in the scene itself! She knew very little of the plot, but knew it was not a happy story. But, even with very little information, she felt entranced by the two singing to one another.

Would she really be of any use in this rehearsal if she didn't know anything?

She gazed over her shoulder to ask Kamek a question or two about the scene, but noticed that he had likely teleported away to who knows where. It seemed that him ditching any responsibility as soon as he could was a common occurrence. How long had she been alone?

With a slight hum of annoyance, she turned on her heels to observe the scene once again and hopefully find the information on her own. She slightly parted the curtains again as she peaked her head through the opening.

However, instead of watching the scene, she instead bumped into the chest of the actor who had just been on stage. She stumbled backwards with a gentle 'oof' before the man grabbed her hand before she stumbled too far.

" _Oh!_  I am so sorry!" He called out in a thick Italian accent. He frowned. "Are you feeling alright?"

Peach caught her balance as she stood up straight and examined her company. He was a relatively short man, standing a foot below herself, with a deep maroon suit. A golden crown sat on his head, though she doubted it was real.

His costume suggested he was a royal character of sorts.

Peach sighed as she realized she had ignored him. She flashed a small smile as she gave an understanding nod to his apology. "You were wonderful out there."

She could make out a slight amount of pigment creeping onto his cheeks from the compliment. He gave a small, flustered laugh. He clearly hadn't expected words of kindness.

"Thank you!" He smiled while composing himself. "But I would have to disagree. Pauline is always the star, I would say." As if on cue, the taller woman pushed through the curtains, pausing as she saw the two. "It's hard to outshine her."

Pauline pushed her hair over her shoulder before standing besides the fellow actor. She cleared her throat as she noticed Mario still grabbing onto Peach's hand from her stumble, which he released instantly with an embarrassed smile.

She wore a large red dress with black lace lining the edges. Expensive-looking jewelry sat along her neck, at the ridge of her costume. Once again, she doubted much of it was real, seeing as those in the Dark Lands weren't exactly the type to spend so much money on jewelry, especially for a costume.

The stranger rolled her eyes in amusement at her friend's reaction. "Hey there. I'm assuming you're the newbie?" Her voice was smooth and mature. "Glad to see Kamek has someone else to pick on. I'm Pauline," she stated kindly before nuding her friend in the ribs. "This is Mario."

Peach smiled politely as Mario's face rushed with color at the awkward introduction.

Mario scratched the back of his head while Peach smiled politely.

In her rehearsed, polite tone, Peach responded. "Yes, that's me. I hope I'll be of good use for you all." Her gaze turned back to Pauline. "Was my father playing at all? The Orchestra sounded lovely."

The two nodded.

"Yep! He is still learning the music, but he seems to have quickly found his place," Mario added. "I'm sure you'll follow suit."

Peach's smile grew at the word of her father's praise. Had he really adapted so quickly?

"I hope so, but I haven't learned much of the script," she muttered with a bit of shame. "I was only given it earlier today, so I hope it isn't too much trouble."

In fact, she barely knew of what the play was about! She had managed to show up to practice, thankfully, but Kamek had given her little to even look over the script. And, with her ghost's intervention, she had barely read the first page, let alone understood her role.

"Not at all," Pauline stated casually. "Or, it isn't for us. Kamek might bother you about it, but he'll do that regardless. Don't beat yourself up about it."

Mario nodded as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Yes, we have been rehearsing for a few months. We can wait a few more for you to catch up. It's only fair." His words were warm and endearing before he continued in his upbeat tone. "Now, why don't you sing something for us? I would hate for you to come to rehearsal just to watch."

Peach was slightly overwhelmed from the reassuring kindness, but froze at the mention at performing. She knew she would have to eventually, but so suddenly and, well,  _not being prepared at all_ , left her anxious. What would she sing?

Peach fiddled with her ring before parting her lips. She was never a shy woman, but her nerves suddenly made her words come out quite hushed.

"Are you sure? I don't think-"

"You don't  _need_  to think. C'mon," Pauline teased with a smirk before grabbing Peach's hand and practically pulling her through the curtains. Mario observed the two worryingly and raised his hand to object, clearly concerned about Peach's doubt, but remained in place. Pauline, on the other hand, was determined to show the world what Peach could do. Or, what she assumed she could do. "Now's your time to shine."

* * *

Ludwig sat idly on the darkest area of the loft above. He gently kicked his feet as they hung off the metallic surface. While he was supposed to be keeping an eye on the human's intentions, he was far more entertained by the mishaps of the stagehands.

A tiny goomba carried a large can of red paint on its head, moving towards the part of the stage where they were working on the impressive props. He wobbled towards the group of Koopas steadily while the liquid rippled.

Ludwig chuckled to himself, knowing how this was going to end before it had even started.

The small goomba visibly sighed as he made it to the group, before a larger Koopa brushed past the worker and knocked the can straight onto the floor. Red paint splattered all around the props and on the shoes of the Koopas.

Ludwig cringed as they opened their mouths to shout, but paused as a Koopa with a clipboard hushed them angrily. The group stood in silence, fuming, waiting for practice to end, eager to chew each other out.

Ludwig stretched nonchalantly. "You'd think these fools would realize they have eyes on them most of the time by now," he mumbled in both annoyance and amusement. He sighed as he pulled out a tiny notepad from his shell. "Well, if they  _were_  intelligent, I doubt they would be stagehands, anyhow." He chuckled arrogantly.

Quickly, he jotted down a quick note of warning for the group, signed from the Phantom himself.

_Spilled paint is far less valuable than your positions in this theater. Clean it up and move along, idiots._

_The Phantom_

Ludwig snickered as he held the clever letter in front of himself and read it over again. He had always tried to come off as intimidating as he could in his letters, but it was nothing compared to when the  _real_  phantom wrote them. When his father did, they were...graphic. Ludwig, on the other hand, saw no need to be so descriptive.

Though he wasn't the phantom, his father had found it to be effective regardless of who wrote the letter. If any of the koopalings were to notice misbehavior from any staff members, they were to issue a warning. Everyone knew what happened when you ignored too many warnings, so very few acted out of line if they received one.

It was an effective way to manage the crew.

Sometimes, the other koopalings would take advantage of the system to mess with people. But, overall, it was flawless. Sure, others could attempt to pretend to be the phantom, too, and write their own letters for self gain, but the real phantom would inevitably push too much fear in their direction for them to even think about doing such a thing.

Ludwig creased the letter in two as he smiled with sinister satisfaction. He hovered the letter over the group of furious koopas with his pinky raised, ready to drop it. However, his snickering paused as the Koopas' silent bickering below came to an end for a moment as they turned towards the curtains.

The orchestra had stopped playing, all except for a single violin, which was easy to assume was the woman's father. Ludwig hummed in curiosity as he put the note in his shell to deliver once his curiosity was resolved.

The koopa carefully walked across the creaking loft as he squinted his eyes from the blinding light ahead of him. He stayed back as far as he could, as to go unnoticed, but creeped a bit closer than he probably should as to get a view on what was going on below.

Though he was rather high up, the scene was easy to make out. A single human stood in the middle of the large wooden stage with her arms linked behind her. The auditorium was empty, besides the large group of Koopas holding their instruments.

The song the violinist played was slow and sorrowful as she swayed gently from side to side to the beat. Her golden hair swung with her figure as her eyes were closed. Whatever the song was, she clearly had it memorized, as her movements paused and continued with the song.

Though he was unable to get a view of the stage completely, he eyed what he  _could_  see, which was her. He examined her curiously, not expecting such a petite woman to make his father so anxious. What damage could she exactly... _do_  to them? For human standards, she was quite beautiful, which took Ludwig off guard. Was she truly dangerous for such a beauty?

He had snooped enough to hear his father refer to the girl as if he knew her, but that's as far as his knowledge went. He had seemed stressed and worrisome beyond belief. Had she done something before?

Ludwig didn't know, but he didn't dare think about it too much. If she was a good addition to the cast, then he would be fine with her. After all, these productions were the only thing that made Ludwig proud.

The Koopa placed both his arms on the railing as he held his head up in his claws. Even for a young music protege, he had never heard of this song before. It was quite different than the intense, booming music of the Dark Lands, but he quite liked the lullaby.

More so when she suddenly started singing along to the gentle tune.

Her voice started off quiet and dainty, almost like a set of bells ringing in the wind. She seemed anxious as to raise her voice to its full volume as she nearly whispered the lyrics. The purity in her voice was quite unlike anything else he had heard before. He leaned forward with a creak of the railing, confused by any doubt his father held for the young woman.

" _Interesting_ ," Ludwig hummed to himself in fascination. Even with the lyrics being in some sort of foreign language, and her voice barely audible above the violin, the sorrowful emotion poured through her hushed words. Ludwig was entranced.

The violin started speeding up slightly as the woman's voice grew louder with each note. Ludwig smiled in satisfaction as she slowly began projecting her voice, proving she had some potential.

With her voice now loud and confident, yet holding on to the purity, her hands clasped in front of her chest as she seemed to be singing for someone; calling for something. The unintelligible lyrics of which he couldn't understand told a story that he could vaguely understand, yet not grasp at the same time. He was unable to tell if it was a story of gain or loss. Perhaps both?

With one final, impressive note, the song abruptly stopped, leaving the woman out of breath as she stood alone in the spotlight.

* * *

Bowser sat at his impressive study with his head in his hands, desperate to drown out the sound. Yet, every time it had quieted down, her voice sparked back up and took over his focus.

Though muffled and distant, Bowser could recognize that angelic voice anywhere. Peach's singing echoed throughout the labyrinth and stuck in his head, no matter how much he tried to silence any of her presence.

 _This is ridiculous_ , he thought to himself bitterly.

It was almost pathetic that he couldn't focus on his work due to some fleshy human singing. With every note she sang, his mind buzzed with the idea of her. Though he hadn't seen her in years, his memories of her slowly creeped back, no matter how far he had locked them away and convinced himself that they had never happened.

_She's here._

Bowser groaned as his thoughts kept flashing back to him. Memories of her village and of her daily routines would momentarily bring bliss, followed by a huff of frustration as he did everything in his power to convince himself that he didn't know who she was.

 _Peach is_  here.  _She's here. She's finally here,_ his subconscious cried while the rest of him sat in agony.  _It's not too late. I can-_

Bowser nearly knocked over his chair as he stood up in anger. His mind was filled to the brim with a hateful despair as he let his temper run free.

It had taken him  _literal years_ to get her out of his head, and he wasn't about to let her mess everything up again. With an angry growl, Bowser knocked over the orderly papers on his study as he stormed for his room, eager to sleep away the thoughts of her presence.

He needed to forget about her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure you guys are putting two and two together now! But, I promise some more twists are bound to come, especially if you haven't figured out what's going on yet! Even if you've put together the obvious, I assure you, there are a lot of twists coming! Thank you for reading!


	7. The Warning

Throughout the intense song, Peach sang the foreign lyrics as they carried a message. To whom, or what they spoke of, she vaguely knew. The language was one Peach was not fluent in, nor her father, as her mother had taught the two the song before her passing.

It had been her lullaby every night her mom was with her; the song was something Peach could never forget. When her mother sang it, it was as if the song was tailored for her soothing, fragile voice. Tied together with her father's violin, it was truly unforgettable, even years after.

However, when Peach sang the same song on that stage, an overpowering amount of energy washed over her as the usual, soothing tone was replaced with one of confident calling. While not traditional, her method of singing the lyrics remained pure, yet stronger than her mother had ever sang them.

As her song's volume increased, she felt herself calling for someone that encouraged her to continue; someone that craved to hear her. The more his image formed in her mind, the louder the lyrics became, and the more intense her need to see him again became.

She, too,  _wanted_  her voice to be heard by him.

It didn't take long for Peach to piece together who she hoped would hear her song that beckoned for him to come back. Moving away from the Mushroom Kingdom caused her subconscious to scream of the idea of her admirer being here. Or, the chance of him being here, left her hopeful.

She silently slapped herself in a twinge of annoyance. How would  _he_  hear her? Why did the image of him lead her singing?

Peach was brought back into reality as the song cut off and ended. Her chest raised and fell with each heavy breath as she tried to compose herself. With so many eyes on her, she was finding it to be...difficult. Peach blinked as she looked between each of the Koopas, hoping for any sort of reaction.

She carefully observed the front row of koopas as they stared at her with mixed reactions. Some seemed shocked, curious, or even doubtful; all unsure of how they should react. They eyed the young woman in the spotlight as she eyed them back, just as curiously.

She cringed, knowing it was obvious that her voice was not trained or accustomed to any formal setting. While she wouldn't call herself a  _bad_ singer, she knew she was not a professional who knew how to manage notes and keep her voice from breaking.

Her thoughts were cut off by a rush of murmurs from the Koopas in the stands before her. They leaned towards one another as they snuck glances at the taller woman, causing her face to pale in doubt. Had she been overly confident in herself?

Realizing it was her time to go, Peach lifted her dress, giving a small curtsy, before turning on her heels, eager to leave the stage. However, before she could fully turn around, her arm was roughly grabbed as she was tugged in the same direction. She was pulled through the velvety curtains as she stumbled backwards, meeting her two acquaintances from earlier.

Pauline gently released Peach's arm before flashing a wide, confident smile. Peach frowned as she rubbed her arm, however, as the murmuring was just as loud behind stage.

Mario's eyes seemed hazed over in admiration and a few other emotions Peach couldn't identify, but assumed they were mostly positive.

"You were amazing!" Pauline kindly cheered. "I can see why Kamek let you in so easily."

Peach smiled sheepishly. She knew her first performance had been far from perfect, but she felt prideful in the fact that she had even managed to go so far as to stand on a world-renowned stage and have her voice heard.

"I hope I was loud enough. It was a bit overwhelming." She sighed as she realized it would take a while to get accustomed to performing. "I've just never-"

"We all get nervous at first," Mario reassured calmly. "Don't worry."

Pauline smirked as she pulled Peach to her shoulder, loudly whispering to her, just loud enough for Mario to overhear.

"You should have seen  _Mario's_  first time on this stage!" She teased with a hearty laugh as Mario's smile faded. A deep frown followed by a flash of color covered Mario's face as he stood in embarrassment. "You see, he-"

Pauline was cut off as a loud, booming crash echoed throughout the theater, followed by several gasps and screams. Plenty of stagehands ran away and pushed past the humans, causing Mario to stumble before he regained his balance. He eyed them with disapproval before he faced what they were running away from.

Mario was the first to react to the ordeal as he rushed over to the scene without thinking much of it or what had even happened. Pauline followed suit, but was cautious as she hesitated.

Peach was the last to follow as she carefully examined the scene beforehand.

A tiny goomba laid on the floor with a bucket forced on his head, leaking and covering him in what she hoped to be red paint. Beside him, a larger Koopa clenched his fist in anger as his teeth grinded together. Three other koopas stood behind him as they wiped paint off their chests with similar expressions to the large koopa. Several broken props were scattered around the area as the paint-covered group eyed the goomba bitterly.

Peach frowned at the appearance of the culprit as she stood beside the two humans. He was quite larger than the average koopa, standing at around Peach's shoulders, and wore a black shell of which she assumed was painted. His face seemed to be naturally in the shape of a scowl and he reeked of alcohol.

A large, damp puddle of red paint coated the surface around the scene and several footprints could be seen running through it, thankfully confirming Peach's assumption.

Mario bent down and carefully helped the goomba to his feet while removing the bucket. Or, attempted to, as the goomba continued to wobble from side to side, falling on his back into the paint after a few moments. Mario sighed as he bent down and supported the injured creature while shaking his head in disapproval.

The black-shelled Koopa laughed dryly as the goomba relied on Mario's support. As if on cue, the other koopas laughed with him, taunting the smaller stagehand. His goons seemed to replicate his expression and emotions, clearly afraid of what he had in store for them if they acted out of line.

Were stagehands usually so brutal? Peach clenched her hands as she looked between the injured goomba and bully of a koopa who couldn't seem to get over how hilarious this was.

The goomba attempted to stand up on his own, ignoring Mario's help, before slipping on the paint and landing on his back once again. The humans flinched as paint was flung towards the group.

Once again, though even louder, laughter broke out at his fall. The goomba sat in the paint angrily as he eyed the group and refused to accept Mario's help any further.

Peach's blood ran cold from the heartless smirks and chuckles. The longer she attempted to compose herself, the louder the uproar seemed to get, as well as the frown on the goomba's face.

Not realizing what she was doing, Peach gently pushed past Pauline and eyed the group.

"Why is this funny to you?" She asked with a deep frown. The black-shelled koopa stopped laughing immediately, but his followers kept chuckling to themselves before being silenced by one of his glares in their direction. "He made a mess, but you shouldn't have hit him. Just  _look_ at him."

Upon closer inspection, a subtle black eye was forming over his left eye. The goomba frowned at the mention of his wound. Peach's anger fell to pity for a moment before the trouble maker scoffed.

"He's a goomba, lady. He's replaceable." His voice was hoarse and scratchy as he brushed off her concern with a laugh. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it."

Peach's cheeks rushed with red as her cheeks puffed full of anger. Taking half a step forward, she poked the stagehand in the chest.

"What, so you aren't?" Her voice shook in anger as she furrowed her brow. The group stood in shock as her proper facade broke. "Oh, no, let me guess! Everyone comes to see  _you_ , right?  _Not_  the performances."

The koopa froze as his friends chuckled in entertainment behind him. Pauline pulled her finger across her throat, desperately signaling for Peach to drop it, while Mario pulled his hands over his eyes. Yet, she continued.

The koopa took a step forward into her finger, ready to start another fight with the human, before a small sheet of paper fell between the two. A tiny red stamp sat on its surface with a large 'P.'

All eyes fell towards the scrap for a few moments before the group of koopas scrambled away, tracking red paint across theater. While trying to mask his fear with a simple frown, the large koopa held his ground as he cursed under his breath; he was clearly unhappy with what potential the note held.

While her company's face paled, Peach simply crouched down to pick up the letter. She eyed the culprit suspiciously as she stood back up and gently broke the note's seal.

She eyed the fancy handwriting curiously, finding the cursive to be a bit hard to make out at times. The note spoke of not fighting over the spilled paint with a harsh undertone and was signed by 'The Phantom.'

Below the signature, another message was recently added with a thick underline.

_That includes you, lady._

Peach furrowed her brow as she read the letter over again. Who was watching that had the authority to issue warnings like this? Hell, why would a threatening letter be given instead of a verbal scolding?

She turned towards Mario as she held out the note for him to take.

"Phantom?" She asked curiously. Mario visibly paled at her question while Pauline looked between the two anxiously. Peach simply furrowed her brow as her question was met with silence.

Before Mario could reach out and take the sheet of paper, and before Peach could get an answer, the angry koopa snatched the letter and observed it within his jittery hands. His eyes widened as he read who signed it before his brow furrowed in anger. He slightly crumpled the paper as he clearly wasn't happy with the message, before letting it fall to the floor.

The koopa stormed off as he mumbled several shaky curses to himself, not caring that he was walking straight through the paint and coating his shoes in red. He sneaked one final glare at Peach before he headed out through the large doors, eager to get away from the phantom's eyes.

The entire ambiance of the theater seemed to have shifted with both the fight and the note. Everyone, besides the humans and the red goomba, had abandoned practice after the note of an issued warning, if they weren't already scared off from the fight.

With a sigh, Peach bent down to pick up the note once again as she eyed its mysterious signature. She turned to the two apologetically after trying to flatten the wrinkled note as much as possible.

As if reading Peach's mind, Mario sighed.

"Don't apologize. We'll tell Kamek what happened." He exhaled as he ran his hand through his hair. He was clearly upset about all of the discourse, and, seeing as his eyes kept sneaking glances at the note in Peach's hand, she assumed that upset him as well.

"Wasn't your fault," Pauline added as she placed a comforting hand on Mario's shoulder. "Someone has to keep these jerks in line. You were just trying to do what you thought was best." She sighed. "But, next time, just let it happen. It'll get taken care of."

_Taken care of?_

Peach's eyes wandered to the note in her hand. Would whoever wrote this 'take care' of it? Surely they would, seeing as nearly everyone was scared away.

However, Peach froze at the constant kindness and understanding that seemed to radiate from the two. Had she been away from humans for so long that she had forgotten what kind-natured people were like? Or, perhaps, they were pitying her? She didn't understand what she had done to earn such hospitality.

Either way, she was grateful.

Peach was about to thank her company for their understanding before a familiar, obnoxious poof of smoke clouded the area next to them. Waving his wand to clear the smog, Kamek shrieked in realization as he was met with an unwelcome paint job to the backstage floor.

"What  _happened_ here?" Kamek squealed at the crime scene of paint and broken props. Mario sighed as Pauline's smile flattened; the two were not happy to see the koopa.

"Some paint spilled," Pauline stated casually with a bit of amusement at his distress. Mario shook his head in disapproval at Pauline's bad timing of humor.

Kamek choked on his words as he gazed over his shoulder at the woman.

"Well,  _of course!_  But what exactly happened here?" Not getting an answer, he furiously turned to the others. "Mario?  _Toadstool?_ " He gazed between the two for answers before Pauline gently pulled the old koopa to the side to explain everything that had happened.

Besides the occasional yelp of anger that could be heard as Pauline retold the scene to Kamek from the hallway, especially when word of the note came up, Mario and Peach were alone. The two turned to each other awkwardly, forcing small laughs at the cries of distress from their boss.

"Is practice usually like this?" Peach asked with a small smile. Mario was still clearly unnerved from the warning, for reasons she didn't know, so she attempted to lighten the mood to the best of her ability.

Mario shrugged as he returned a small smile himself. "Sometimes. You can't really expect anything here."

"Sounds exciting," she hummed in pure amusement. Mario gave a genuine chuckle before the conversation fell into silence.

The two stood awkwardly as the listened into Kamek's angry distress, followed by Pauline's attempts at reassurance. The two humans were soon accompanied by a group of koopas holding mops and buckets, clearly assigned to take care of the mess.

Peach cringed as she wondered if the paint would even come out of the wood after sitting there for so long.

Mario followed Peach's gaze towards the spilled paint and instead assumed she was playing over the scene in her head.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," he muttered through his accent in defeat. He rubbed the back of his head anxiously as he seemed hesitant to continue, which Peach assumed was a nervous habit.

"But,  _if_ you would like to-" He paused as he forced a charming smile that was coated with hesitation. "I, well, I can tell you what  _I_ know." He paused one final time as he continued in a whisper. "...over dinner."

Peach's gaze froze before it turned to Mario, whose composure seemed to break even further with her eyes landing on him. He was fiddling with his gloved hands as he stared at her hopefully, almost as if he were a child asking for a new toy.

Before Peach could react, he speedily continued.

"Only because Kamek wouldn't be happy if I told you so soon! It would be easier to tell you what I know away from here." He smiled sheepishly. His excuse made sense, but it clearly didn't cover up his true intentions, which only made Peach even more enticed by his words.

Peach gave a soft, warm smile at Mario's flustered smile. She giggled a bit before nodding in agreement.

"I think that'd be wonderful."

While they had different intentions, one seeking information and the other hoping to get to know the young lady, they both beamed in agreement.

The two discussed what times would work for them, and eventually came to the agreement that, tomorrow, right after rehearsal, would work best. Since Mario knew the area far more than Peach, he decided on where they would go, which Peach happily agreed to. Especially after he claimed they had the best italian food in the kingdom, she was sold.

Through the entire, simple conversation, Mario's charm was as confident and as kind as ever. She tried to return his enthusiasm, but was finding it hard to keep up with him. She remained kind and considerate, rather than eager, which Mario didn't take note of.

Nonetheless, she looked forward to spending the evening with such a charming young man.

Peach smiled at her friend as she turned down the hallway to head back for her room, giving him one final, small wave before leaving his view entirely. The halls around the auditorium were empty due to the rucas, leaving Peach alone with her thoughts and the clicking of her heels against the polished floor.

A slight frown covered her features as soon as she was away from Mario. So many questions flooded her mind as she eyed the note in her hand.

With no other connections to make, she easily assumed this phantom was the creature she saw in her dreams earlier. Had he been...watching her? Did he see how she had behaved? She shook her head at the ridiculous questions.  _Of course_  he had seen! He included her in the warning. He had gone out of his way to underline it, even!

Kamek's reaction to the note, too, confirmed her suspicions about her ghost's identity. He had reacted to similarly during their earlier conversation about the mysterious figure.

Whoever this phantom was, she had met him in her dreams, and he was beneath the opera house; where he desperately wanted her to stay away from. For what reasons, she didn't know, but hoped to know after her dinner with Mario.

Peach unfolded the letter as she eyed its vague signature. Over the years, when facing any written material, Peach had learned to compare it to the handwriting of her admirer from years ago. Though it might seem odd, it was all she had of him; the only means she had of finding him.

But, Peach's heart sank as she came to a realization: this writing was far too fancy to belong to him. Whoever this Phantom was, he was not familiar due to him being her potential admirer, but for what seemed to be a completely different reason. Sighing, Peach brought the note back to her side.

If anything, she should be grateful that her admirer wasn't some awful phantom! Peach forced a small laugh as she realized how ridiculous her disappointment had been before heading to her door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super excited for the next chapter! Expect some mild fluff and all that jazz! Please review if you've enjoyed! Thank you so much for reading, as usual.


	8. Decision

 

After her second day at rehearsal, and it being painful, yet enjoyfully long, Peach slumped in her chair.

She sat in front of the large vanity with her lips puckered. Carefully applying her lipstick and subtle makeup with one hand, the other gently combed through her hair as she hummed one of the many songs she had heard played earlier.

The lipstick was a bright red; far more bold than she ever wore, but it paired well with one of the many new dresses she had been given. Its teal fabric was silky and felt wonderful against her skin when compared with the scratchy dress she had worn before.

A subtle, white petticoat rested under the light fabric, giving it a wonderful form. She wore white stockings and casual black heels, tied together with one of the many jewelry pieces that had been in her room: a ruby pendant, matching with her ring.

It was a bit more formal than what she would normally wear, but, to no surprise, stage costumes tended to be a bit more formal than everyday wear. Thankfully, this dress wasn't as impressive as the others that sat in her dresser.

Seeing as she was, for now, one of the many faces of the opera house, Kamek refused to let her walk around in such, as he put it, ' _homeless_ ' clothing for the remainder of her stay. For the time being, he had lended her several dresses for past human roles, many of which were far too tacky for her to wear in public, but they would suffice.

The way Kamek had phrased 'her stay' made her realize how fragile her position in this theater was, and that it was only going to last with this role; she would likely not be needed after after the final showing, whenever that was. But, it didn't bother her too much, as Peach and her father had a place to stay for the time being.

However, besides finding Peach some durable clothing, Kamek had also discussed the play with her on the side while the other leads rehearsed on stage. Instead of having her miss several rehearsals to read the script, he gave her a quick overview of the play's plot.

Peach's role was one of a royal character, specifically from the Mushroom Kingdom, in fact. At first, she had been content with playing such a role, seeing as she had much experience with the location. Yet, the more Kamek spoke, the quicker her spirits fell.

Peach frowned as she leaned back in her chair, playing back the description in her head.

The story truly was as tragic as she had assumed. While most tragedies left you wanting more, the plot Kamek described left a bitter taste in her mouth. The plot seemed innocent enough, but the undertone that went over Peach's head left her feeling dirty.

Her character, Mary, was a naive girl with her head set on finding true love, which leads her into several questionable situations. With her father, the king, ill and quickly falling away, she was left with two options: passing the crown, or finding a man to marry to aid her in her monarchy.

Killing two birds with one stone, she immediately started pursuing a future king. From Kamek's description of love, that in itself was foolish of the girl to pursue. The play, from this point, seemed harmless enough, even with Kamek's snarkiness.

Clearly, Dark Land creatures had different views on love than humans.

That's where Mario's role comes into play: a wealthy man named Vincent. He was a refined young man who quickly stepped up to take Mary's hand in marriage, which she happily agreed to without a doubt in her mind; she fell in love immediately.

Mary's father eventually passed, and the two were wed as soon as possible, regardless of the fact that they barely knew one another.

But, Vincent only married Mary for the throne. Even after finding himself able to return the princess' affections, his true lover, Anastasia, played by Pauline, persuaded him to kill her for the throne.

With a heavy heart, he complied.

Peach immediately knew that was the bittersweet song she had overheard Pauline and Mario singing during her first rehearsal. The loyal emotion pouring from Mario's lyrics, and the deceitful promises that spilled from Pauline, quickly made sense.

Once Mary was disposed of, the two true lovers were wed.

But, in turn, Anastasia killed Vincent once had completed his task, taking the throne for herself.

Kamek spoke of the intentions of the play: it acted to show how weak humans are in the eye of their emotions, and also with their greed; they were foolish creatures that were no threat in the war. Well, that's what Kamek said, in the least.

Subtle themes like this seemed to be common in the Dark Lands after another war started four years ago. In contrast, in the Mushroom Kingdom, koopas were regarded as heartless creatures. It was ironic how, here, humans were regarded as exactly the opposite, in a negative manner: emotion-driven.

It was amusing in an ironic, bitter way.

While it may have seemed like a normal tragedy at first, Kamek's bitter descriptions of the scenes left Peach uncomfortable with the undertone of the message. Even when practicing simple scenes where tragedy would happen to any of the main characters, many of the stagehands and workers would cheer, rather than feel... _tragic._

It's almost as if this were more of a comedy to the Orchestra as Kamek had to consistently hush them for snickering during the most 'intense' of scenes.

But, it gave Peach and her father somewhere to stay. She felt dirty helping produce a play that, in the eyes of koopas, spoke poorly of her identity and further divided the two species, but decided to push that feeling under the rug in favor of shelter.

Peach put her hair into a quick ponytail before pushing the small chair back and standing up. As if on cue, a gentle knock on her door broke the silence. She quickly put down her brush and makeup before brushing off the front of her dress as she headed to the door and opened it, meeting exactly who she was expecting.

"Are you ready?" Mario asked warmly. "I'm sorry I'm a bit late."

Peach giggled. He was barely even ten minutes behind schedule! She stepped into the dim hallway before gently closing the door behind her with a quiet click.

"I didn't even notice. Where are we heading?" Peach asked curiously.

Mario held out his arm for her to take with a charming smile.

"I know a shortcut."

* * *

Ludwig rushed down the opera house's hidden corridors within its stone walls. Nearly stumbling over his feet due to his speed, he barely paid attention to what was in front of him, to a point where he would occasionally stumble into a spiderweb and yelp in disgust, but quickly swatted away it instantly.

He had followed Peach for the second day, just as his father had directed. Today was  _far_  less entertaining, as there were no fights or warnings to issue, but he had done as he was ordered.

Rehearsal was as expected, to his liking. Even with the lack of entertainment, he was instead met with a productive day of rehearsal. Peach was slowly catching up with the rest of the cast while others were showing clear signs of improvement. With that risky stagehand out of sight, nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

But, the second Peach left the building, his eyes were limited, leaving him on edge.

Running down a steep set of stairs, Ludwig hopped down four stairs at a time, occasionally stumbling, but always catching himself. Once he reached the bottom, he placed both his claws on his knees to catch his breath.

"What are ya up to?" A squeaky voice called out a few feet in front of him. The silhouette crouched down as it eyed Ludwig curiously. "Did the lady do somethin' again?"

Ludwig squinted as his eyes were still adjusting to the labyrinth's lack of light. Once he made out Lemmy's frame, he sighed.

" _None_  of your business, Lemmy!" He squinted bitterly in his brother's direction, but was only met with an innocent gaze as his eyes gazed in two directions. "Perhaps I  _would_  tell you if you were not so foolishly distracted from father's orders!"

Lemmy scratched the back of his head.

"Huh, that makes sense, I guess," he groaned in defeat, realizing he wasn't going to get any juicy information without some work. "Do ya still need help? I can be useful! Promise!" He gently bounced up and down in excitement.

Ludwig tried to move around his younger brother but he continued to shift and block his path, clearly only taking one answer. Even being so tiny, Lemmy was easily able to speedily hop around his brother and not allow him to pass through.

With a frustrated groan, Ludwig scowled in annoyance.

"Lemmy, I  _do not_ have time for this! Father said to report to him if  _anything_ -"

"Then let me help ya! C'mon, Ludwig! A team of two is better than one!" He held up three fingers, oblivious to his clear mistake, as Ludwig rolled his eyes.

"If you tagging along will get you out of my way,  _fine!_ " Ludwig huffed in defeat. "Just move! Father needs to know of Peach's location!"

Lemmy arched a brow as he complied.

"Peach? Now that's a weird name if I've ever heard one." Ludwig frowned as if to say,  _you're one to talk,_  before pushing past his brother and heading towards their father's study _._ "Is she the one who went bonkers on that old guy?"

Ludwig frowned.  _Who else would his father be asking for updates on?_

"Yes, though it seemed vaguely justified. She seems to have quite a temper." He sighed. "I'm glad I was there to warn them. I'm afraid of what would have happened to her if not for my presence." He cringed, knowing exactly what would have happened.

Lemmy snickered alone as he hopped next to his brother, who kept trying to outspeed him in hopes of reaching their father's study alone.

"We get enough of that from papa. It's kinda funny hearing it come from someone else, though. How did he react? Was he  _angry?_ " Lemmy speedily asked countless questions, seeing as Ludwig was the only koopaling in the loop.

"He called her  _a lot_ of crude names I don't think I'd feel comfortable repeating," Ludwig muttered. Lemmy stared at him blankly, causing Ludwig to grunt in frustration. " _Yes,_  of course he was angry! He doesn't seem quite fond of her."

Ludwig began snickering in amusement again before he was abruptly cut off, replacing his laughter with a yelp of shock. With one gentle motion, Lemmy was lifted in the air by his mane, resulting in the tiny koopa kicking his feet wildly as he whined.

Ludwig froze in place as his posture stiffened.

"Of who, exactly?" A deep voice questioned from behind the two. Ludwig cringed at the familiar voice, refusing to turn around, while Lemmy continued kicking in desperation.

Even with Bowser's size, he was seemingly always silent when he wanted to be. Ludwig gulped as he hoped his father hadn't overheard everything.

Lemmy stopped kicking as he was flipped around to face his father. Meeting his gaze, he smiled widely, happy to show off the new information he had just gotten.

" _Peach!_ " Lemmy stated confidently. Ludwig gasped as his brother dug their graves even further. "Ludwig told me you were angry at her after she got in trouble!"

Bowser's face fell as he casually released Lemmy, who landed on the cold floor with a loud grunt. He whined in pain but the other two koopas didn't seem to care; Ludwig was too concerned over his father's reaction while, well, Bowser was fuming.

Even no where near the woman, he seemingly couldn't get away from her.

With a grunt of frustration, he scoffed.

"She acted  _stupidly!_  Stupidity is  _annoying_ , so I was angry. What of it?" He defended angrily and rather quickly. "What does she have to do with anything?"

The two tiny koopas looked between each other nervously. What was he saying? All of his recent orders had revolved around the girl! Why was he trying to brush it away? They may be children, but they weren't oblivious. Or, at least, Ludwig wasn't.

But, they bit their tongues, knowing not to speak out of line about such a thing at a time like this.

"You told me to report back to you, father, if she were to leave or act out of order again." Ludwig turned his gaze back to the enormous koopa sheepishly. He was met with a glare, making him speak even quieter. "And, about thirty minutes ago, she left the building to ask some questions…" He paused for a subtle gulp. "... _with Mario_."

Ludwig didn't know why, but he had assumed this information would make Bowser unhappy. While he was rather young, putting two and two together was not difficult for the koopa. Something was clearly going on between Peach and Bowser, which made this information even more difficult to spill.

Even Lemmy visibly paled at this information. Bowser's distaste of Mario was common knowledge to a point where even  _he_  knew.

Bowser's face darkened as he clenched his fists, proving Ludwig's assumption. A subtle puff of smoke left his mouth as he digested the heavy information.

Peach,  _alone,_  with that damned Mario? There was no way in hell he was letting that happen more than once. That man held far too much information that Bowser was comfortable with Peach knowing.

He was well aware Mario held enough information to have Peach connect the dots, which coated his jealousy with a thick layer of anxiety. For the hundredth time, he reminded himself that she could  _not_ come back into his life.

Mario, of many things, he despised. While jealousy was a key factor, most of his hatred was a result of the man's personality. He was truly the generic, obnoxious human: happy-go-lucky, positive, and infuriating beyond all belief. Just hearing him sing made Bowser's blood pressure double.

But, he had never acted out of line, no matter how much he made Bowser cringe. In fact, he had been a positive addition to the theater for this performances. So, instead, he remained on thin ice.

_This_ , however, pushed Mario far into the deep end of Bowser's wrath. He nearly shook as he imagined the two having such a  _wonderful_  time.

Peach willingly being around that pompous man made Bowser's blood run cold before rushing back, thrashing full of molten rage. Anger was a common solution to any bitter feeling he had, which was clear when he turned to his two children in a silent, furious rage.

Noticing Bowser's silent fury, the two koopalings flinched and covered their heads as they expected a scolding. Bowser, of course, was about to empty some of his frustration on the kids, for the sake of calming down, before he held his breath and hesitated.

Deep down, the father in him knew the kids didn't deserve a punishment. Hell, they had even done what he had  _asked._  But, every angry nerve in his body screamed at him to do something to end his overthinking.

But, with a deep exhale, he realized that this was a distraction.  _He was distracted._ Realization hit the koopa as he unclenched his fist and pulled away. Punishing the kids was holding him back from fixing this.

Bowser paused as he quickly put two and two together.

_He could do something._

The two koopalings continued trembling before, instead of a scolding, they were met with Bowser's claws gently brushing their heads as he roughly messed up their manes. Lemmy smiled while Ludwig's brow furrowed in both concern and confusion.

"Good work," he whispered through clenched teeth. While anger poured through his quiet words, he hid it behind praise. His kids stared up at him with a mixture of awe and fear. "Keep it up, kiddos."

And with that, he simply turned around, silent as ever in his movements. Leaving his two kids confused as to what he was planning, they stared at their father until he was out of sight. If they had skipped out on a scolding, something was off.

After a few minutes of heavy silence, and the two replaying the situation in their minds, Lemmy turned to his brother.

"See! We make the best team, huh?" Lemmy questioned bubbly with his eyes full of prideful stars. He seemed oblivious to the fact that he hadn't actually  _done_  anything, but remained happy nonetheless.

Ludwig sighed as he realized Lemmy had stolen half the praise simply because he was at the right place at the right time. He had done all of this work to one up his siblings in the first place; to prove himself! And here he had one of the  _very_  siblings leeching off of his work!

Whether he liked it or not, it seemed Lemmy was going to tag along from here on out.

But, nonetheless, he couldn't help but  _slightly_  smirk at his brother's joy. Maybe having a partner in this wouldn't be  _so_  bad?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kind reviews! Every single one really inspires me to update this so thank you so much! Also, I'm sorry if this chapter drags for a bit in the beginning. I actually had to split this chapter into three parts because it was way too long! So, expect three new parts within the next few days, seeing as they're already written. I hope you enjoy this chapter!


	9. The Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters are where the plot really takes off! I'm sorry for so much world building and rambling - I promise it'll kick of soon!

Peach carefully held onto Mario's arm for the sake of not getting separated, though Mario was quite fond of the contact in on its own. She clinged close to them as they gained a few bitter stares, but otherwise were not interacted with.

At first, it was as crowded as it had been during her first day here; Peach and Mario had to awkwardly shuffle around the mostly-short crowd and deal with bitter stares from those who could see them eye-to-eye. Yet, the further they walked, the streets quickly became quieter and quieter. They had eventually wandered quite far from the main streets to a point where the only sign of life were the houses with lights on.

After a few turns, the large street became closer to an alleyway, though still large enough for many to pass through. Countless buildings and homes rested on either side of the path, though the doors were far taller and wider, as if accommodating for koopas of larger sizes.

Even though she had been in the Dark Lands for two days, the outside world still amazed her. Hell, even the dark alleyway was fascinating. While it was...eerie, it was also inviting in a gothic way. In the Mushroom Kingdom, she rarely saw anything of the sorts.

Normally, any human would be terrified wandering the Dark Lands at night, yet, oddly enough, she felt safe clinging on to her company.

"Here we are," Mario called out proudly as he gestured to the building on their right. Peach hummed as she looked at the large establishment, not expecting it to be as intimidating as the buildings around it, especially since they were going to eat dinner in it.

She silently rolled her eyes at herself, however, as she shouldn't have expected anything else, considering where they were.

It was a victorian building covered with obsidian and red stones, as most of the Dark Lands seemed to be. It seemed to be several floors and double as a house for the owners and it was a bit more rundown and older, as many of the surrounding buildings seemed to be.

Cutting off Peach's thoughts, Mario carefully held open the heavy door for his guest with a cheesy bow. Peach flashed a thankful smile in his direction before stepping through the large set of doors.

The second she walked into the small building, she was met with loud, casual chattering and a rush of an amazing aroma that made her mouth water instantly. Smells of basil and other herbs filled the air, and Mario's eyes glazed over in a content satisfaction as he stood beside his guest.

The inside of the diner was far more modern than the surrounding shops and buildings, but that's what seemed to give it its charm. She was unable to pinpoint where such a look had come from, but she enjoyed the bright red colors and modern twists.

From the outside, it had looked like any of the other buildings: rather gothic and menacing, if not scary. Yet, on the inside, it seemed harmless. Welcoming, even.

Pictures of places Peach had never seen decorated the walls. One specifically caught her attention: it was a large bridge crossing a massive body of water. It was black and white, resting in a large wooden frame. She cocked her head in curiosity as she realized the owners of this diner were from somewhere she had never been.

Well, that wasn't surprising, seeing as she had rarely even left the Mushroom Kingdom.

Peach's smile quickly faded, however, as she turned towards and examined the countless tables and booths and what they hosted. Mario looked over his shoulder at her, clearly expecting this sort of shocked reaction from her.

Both humans and koopas sat among each other, and far more humans were here than Peach would have expected were in the entire Dark Lands sat in the tiny diner. Even more, they were getting  _along_ ; laughing and holding conversations. It had been generations since she had even heard of so many humans and koopas together without strangling each other.

Even when the two kingdoms were in temporary peace a few years ago, bitterness still lingered. Yet, in this casual diner, all was...fine. It was nice, but left Peach on curiously skeptical as she stood in the doorway.

Suddenly, the kitchen's doors kicked open as a short woman shoved her way through them. She carried two trays of food in her hands, balancing them effortlessly as maneuvered through the main area. Impressively fast, she dropped off countless plates to a large table. Once the group of koopas smiled in satisfaction, she dusted off her hands and turned on her heels with the trays tucked under her arm, heading back to the kitchen.

However, while turning, she caught a glimpse of Mario standing in the doorway.

"Heya, Mario! I'll be with ya in  _juuust_  a second," she called out through a slight accent Peach couldn't identify. She placed the trays down on a large cart before turning back towards the familiar face.

However, once close enough to see Mario's guest, she paled.

"Hello, Daisy! Glad to see you're as busy as ever," Mario greeted with a smile. He noticed her shock and quickly assumed she hadn't realized he had brought a guest, and thought they didn't have enough room for  _two_ people. Looking around the restaurant, he continued. "Do you happen to have room for two more?"

Peach, too, took the shock in that manner. It  _was_  dinner time, after all! It was understandable if they would need to find somewhere else to eat. But, something about the way the woman was looking at her made her a bit uncomfortable. Had she recognized her?

Daisy shifted her weight as she had a puzzled look on her face. But, as if coming to a conclusion, she clapped her hands together as a smile plastered on her face.

"No, no! You two are fine! You really think I'd turn down our  _best_  customer? Luigi'd kill me!" She stated with a small laugh. "This way, you two."

Daisy gestured for the two to follow as she lead them to a table set up for two people. As they walked, her face seemed to be scrunched up as she was clearly deep in thought, but the two guests paid little attention to it as they arrived at their table.

It was a small wooden table with a red tablecloth draped over its surface. Two menus were laid out and two cups rested next to them. A small candle was lit between the two seats, resting beside a tiny vase with a single flower within it.

It was charming, especially so that it resembled a lot of restaurants Peach had been to in her old town.

The two quickly sat down as they hungrily eyed the menus.

Daisy smirked at their clear hunger. "Guessin' you want the usual?" She asked while pulling out a small notepad. Mario eagerly nodded as Daisy scribbled down his order. She eyed Peach curiously for a few seconds before continuing. "What about you?"

Peach hummed in thought for a few moments as Mario recommended his personal favorites, most of which were either nearly all of their pasta or pizzas. In the end, she decided to get what Mario was getting: a 'classic' spaghetti. Not only did Mario's description sell her, but the surrounding tables that had that order easily convinced her.

"Sounds good. I'm sure you'll like it!" Daisy reassured after Peach decided. With a quick wink to her two guests, Daisy turned around and called over her shoulder. "I'll be right back with your food!"

Mario and Peach smiled in her direction before she disappeared behind the kitchen's doors. She rushed away a bit quicker than one normally would, but the two simply laughed and assumed she was just as busy as ever.

However, as soon as Daisy pressed her back against the doors, she quickly muttered several rushed curses under her breath.

* * *

"Ha! Knew you were nothin' but a stupid wimp!" Morton snickered as he pridefully lopped a small stone in his hand. "You give up yet, loser?"

Roy groaned as he rubbed his head in pain.

"I ain't! You just got a lucky shot!" Roy huffed as he threw his shades to the floor in frustration. They were shattered from being hit, but broke even further after hitting the stone floor. However, he didn't seem to care. "Aimin' for the face is cheap! You're just playin' unfair an' you know it!"

Morton's head reeled back in laughter at the large red spot between Roy's eyes.

"That's what a dumb loser would say! Maybe you shouldn't have-"

He was cut off as a large pebble hit him straight in the jaw, replacing his booming laugh with a cry of pain. He stumbled back a few feet before regaining his balance and angrily glaring at his brother.

"What happened to not hittin' in the face?" Morton cried out while he rubbed his jaw. He was fuming while Roy laughed, hoping to hide any fact that he was still in pain. "I thought you said headshots were cheap, you stupid idiot!"

At the insult, his muffled laughing paused.

"I ain't no stupid idiot! You hit me in the head first!" Roy grumbled in defense as he bent down for another rock. "You're the one who wanted to play this dumb game, so quit your cryin'!"

"Yeah, but I didn't know I'd be playin' with an idiot who can't even dodge rocks!" Morton quickly mocked his brother and picked up a handful of stones, ready to pummel his brother.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see who's an idiot when you're black an' blue!"

With their hands full of rocks, ranging from pebbles to literal bricks, they threw insults followed by the heavy stones. Each throw was followed by a nasty remark, resulting in the other brother throwing the next rock twice as hard. With their pride on the line, both were far more smart as they evaded every throw.

The two arched their arms back, about to throw one final rock each, before Ludwig and Lemmy hastily bumped past the them, knocking the rocks onto the floor.

"Where are you nerds off to?" Roy questioned to Ludwig, who simply ignored him. Rolling his eyes, he turned to Lemmy. "Thought it'd be your bedtime by now or somethin', Lemmy"

"My bedtime is eight! It's only  _six_ ," Lemmy huffed proudly over his shoulder, resulting in a wave of laughter from the two older koopas who had found a new method of entertainment.

Trailing behind Lemmy and Ludwig, Morton chipped in.

"You off to do some o' dat pansy music stuff?"

Ludwig frowned.

"It  _isn't_  pansy, and no, I'm afraid not. You meatheads are clearly finding your prehistoric brains entertained by literal rocks, so I doubt my intentions are any of your concern."

Morton and Roy scratched their heads as they looked between each other. Lemmy simply nodded in agreement with his older brother, even though he only vaguely understood him.

"Naw, we were just throwing rocks for  _fun_ ," Roy defended with a shrug. Ludwig shook his head, seeing as that was what he had just said, but remained silent as they walked down the tunnel. "But you two seem ta be doin' something interesting. What's goin' on?"

"Helpin' papa," Lemmy casually stated as he tried to fabricate a serious tone. "You see, we're off trying to be resp- respons- reeespons-"

"Responsible," Ludwig quickly corrected. "Lemmy seems to have turned over a new leaf," he stated proudly, earning a wide smile from his younger brother. "I'm eagerly waiting for you two to reanalyze your priorities, as your younger brother has. You are welcome to join us if you will behave."

"What's in it for us?" Morton questioned with an arched brow. "You just off bein' goody two shoes for no reason? I don't see the appeal in that jazz." The two large koopas crossed their arms in doubt.

Lemmy's serious facade broke instantly as he started bouncing up and down, pure joy spilling from his small giggles. Clearly, he had been eager to spill what had happened earlier.

"Papa praised us! He said we did a good job!" He stated proudly. He turned to Ludwig in hopes of him agreeing, but was met with silence. "You know what it means when he's happy, right?"

Ludwig groaned in disappointment. Was this Lemmy's intention all along?

Roy grinned as he rubbed his claws together. When their father was in a good mood, it meant spoils and, well,  _not_  getting yelled at. Looking over his shoulder, he eyed his broken pair of shades as they got smaller in the distance. Maybe he could get a new pair? He always thought he'd look pretty swell in a blue pair of shades.

Yet, that  _wasn't_  actually Lemmy's intention. While getting prizes and toys was great, that praise from earlier made him feel a whole lot better than any of that ever had. Though, maybe a new ball wouldn't be  _that_  bad if it came into the picture.

Lemmy knew that Roy's greedy tendencies would get the best of him, which seemed to be doing the trick as he could have sworn to see dollar signs in his eyes. For once, he had one upped his brother.

"I'm in," Roy stated confidently as he looked over his shoulder as Morton. "How 'bout you, rock face?"

Morton rolled his eyes.

"Nah. Don't need anythin'," he muttered boredly. Clearly, he was disappointed in what the small group was off to do, and didn't have any interest in tagging along. Turning around, he called back over his shoulder, "I'll catch you dorks later. Don't have too much fun bein' lameos"

Lemmy and Ludwig sighed. Two brutes were two too many, anyways. Maybe one could be to their advantage?


	10. The Date - Continued

"Are you two close?" Peach asked warmly as she turned to Mario, quite fond of their waitress's bold personality. She already knew the answer from their interaction, but smiled as his face lit up at the question. "She seemed very excited to see you."

Mario nodded. "Yes, Daisy is my sister-in-law," he stated proudly. "My brother finally married her a year ago. Though,  _she_  had to propose."

Peach giggled, knowing such an outgoing person wouldn't hesitate to do such a thing.

"I admire that of her. She clearly knows how to get what she wants," Peach praised, earning a nod from Mario. "She seems very independent."

"She always has been. Sometimes it makes me worry." He sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Luigi - my brother," he added, "is very docile. Daisy often drags him in some...trouble, especially with royal guards. I am not sure how it happens, but it seems to happen a lot."

Peach didn't necessarily know what he meant, or what sort of trouble he was talking about, but simply nodded in understanding as she took a sip of her drink; it wasn't her information to pry into. Besides, Daisy seemed charming beyond belief, if not a bit rough around the edges. What's the worst she could have done?

After putting down her cup, Peach, too, leaned back in her chair, surprised by how comfortable it was. She gazed around the busy booths, examining the laughing faces of koopas, goombas, and humans alike, before turning back to him, reminded of her earlier question.

However, before she could even part her lips, Mario spoke up.

"I'm sure you're wondering how koopas and humans are getting along here?" Mario asked, knowing very well that was her first question of the night. Peach blushed as she realized how rude of a question that was before slightly nodding. "Well, this side of the Dark Lands is where humans usually live. Things are more inclusive back here."

Peach hummed as she pondered over his response. She had never really thought about a place like this  _existing_ in the first place.

With the war, it was understandable that the two species would always be at each others' necks and isolate one another. The Mushroom Kingdom wasn't happy about koopa residents, either, and always kept them under strict regulation.

But, nonetheless, she had never seen the two communities this warm to one another.

"How many humans are there in the Dark Lands? I thought the queen wasn't exactly...fond of us." She spoke quietly, fearful of coming off as rude, as she leaned towards her company. "I've never seen anything like this."

Mario shrugged. Thankfully, the chattering was loud enough for them to talk about such a taboo subject without being questioned.

"Not too many. But, the ones who  _are_  here, they are loyal to her. You don't really have a choice. Being a human by itself is already tricky." He sighed. "Or, they pretend to be. I'm sure plenty are still loyal to the Mushroom Kingdom," he added.

Peach nodded, satisfied with the response.

It made sense: stating your loyalty to a rivalring kingdom would easily get you 'taken care of.' Though much less, the Mushroom Kingdom too had koopas and goombas living there, in separate sections of the kingdom, just like this. She could easily tell the Dark Lands were much harsher towards humans, but her kind were also quite unjust towards koopas.

Now in a position where she was the minority, Peach cringed as she realized how...awful it must feel for the other creatures in the Mushroom Kingdom to be treated so differently. She had never even  _thought_  about about all of that being...iffy. Standing in the 'human section' of the Dark Lands, it quickly creeped on her how wrong such a thing was.

Humans were surely never forced to this section of the Dark Lands, but it was clearly the only safe option. Where she had lived, Koopas were never treated  _badly..._ but they were almost always regarded as potential criminals and were shunned away from the human population. Was it the same here?

But, it seemed to be the usual for kingdoms that despised each other. Peach took a long drink as she evaluated Mario's response.

"Next question," Mario demanded with a teasing smile, just loud enough to be heard over the loud chattering. "We only have so long for you to get your answers."

Peach arched her brow as she put down her cup.

"Mario, I'm not going to interrogate you  _all_  night," she softly laughed. "Do you have any questions for me? It's only fair if you ask a few as well."

Mario smiled at her suggestion, knowing this was steadily going better than he had planned. He hummed to himself as he tried to dig up a question he had for his mysterious date. He casually stirred his drink as he attempted to come up with a question.

His eyes peeked up to Peach once he had decided.

"Why are you in the Dark Lands?" He asked curiously. "I know we all have our reasons, but I am curious. Why now? Why  _here?_ "

Peach and her father randomly showing up to the Dark Lands with so much conflict going on was questionable. As much as he was overjoyed to meet her, it still raised countless questions.

Peach's smile instantly flattened, causing Mario's intriguement to fall away and be replaced with regret. He awkwardly shifted in his chair as he fiddled with his gloved hands. Had he been too forward in such a question? Was he prying too far?

She hesitated as she pondered on how to summarize her response.

Peach exhaled, not realizing she had been holding her breath. "My father said taxes had gone up due to the war. We couldn't afford such a change...so we didn't have much of an option other than coming to the closest kingdom." She sighed as she leaned on her hand. "It's awful leaving your home behind. But, fathers know best, don't they?"

He didn't. Peach refused to believe that this was for the best. She had never noticed a  _single_  difference until the day her father randomly decided to pack up and leave, vaguely explaining their reasons. But, she had no other option but to follow behind him, as she always had.

She had no one else, after all.

They had left so quickly that Peach was left in a puddle of questions without answers. Questions were nearly always dodged, leaving Peach with no other option but to trust in her father. Turning her gaze to her lap, Peach sighed in regret.

Peach's stomach twisted as she remembered everything about the Mushroom Kingdom: the smells, scenery, and even the food, and how it would likely be years before she would see any of it in person again. She ached for the peaceful, calming atmosphere of the kingdom, especially when temporarily living somewhere as chaotic as the Dark Lands.

She gave a lighthearted smile as she sat in a pool of her sickening nostalgia. It had only been a few months since they had left for the Dark Lands, but every little memory made her heart ache for her home.

Mario easily picked up on the bitterness behind her smile as his brow furrowed; she was not being honest with him. No matter how soft her words had been, or how casual she had acted, that subtle smile was telling enough to make Mario's face rush with worry.

Without hesitating, Mario leaned towards her. "Peach, I will do everything I can to make you feel at home. I know the Dark Lands are...different, but the opera house has quickly become a small family to me. I want you to feel that way about us." He paused as he emphasized his words. "About  _me._ "

Peach's eyes shot up from her lap to Mario's gaze, who stared at her with a deep, concerned passion. So much so, that it quickly made Peach's face rush with color out of both embarrassment and shock from his forward statement. She bit her lip as she tried to digest what he had said.

Mario, though silently, was just as shocked as Peach as the words left his being. While he didn't understand his intense care and concern for the woman, attempting to reassure her in any means possible felt right. Seeing her distressed, on the other hand, felt anything but.

Something about her feeling anything but happy, even for that slight moment, made his head bubble with the need to change that.

Peach fiddled with her fork. Why was she being treated such a way from someone she barely knew? The amount of passion within his gaze startled the smile off of Peach's expression as she tried to look anywhere but at him. This in itself made Mario's passion falter, but he held his ground.

Being looked at in such a way, especially from someone she barely knew, felt wrong. This was the type of gaze you would see exchanged between a couple or a man and woman who were in love;

Peach was not worth of such a look, seeing as her gaze was not coated with the same infatuation.

For every inch she casually leaned away from him, he subtly leaned closer. Peach silently groaned as she remembered why she had abandoned pursuing suitors.

"I'll be okay, Mario, you don't need to-"

"I don't want you to be  _okay_ , Peach," Mario quickly interrupted. He had to hold himself back from grabbing her hands. "I want you to  _enjoy_  your time here. Just let me know if there is ever anything I can do for you to make that happen."

Peach gave a hesitant nod. As forward and as clear as his intentions were, his words were kind and coated with worry. She felt a bit regretful for regarding him as a typical suitor, seeing as he showed genuine concern for her wellbeing. The men in her past simply pursued her for her looks, yet Mario was concerned about how she  _felt._

She felt a pinch of defeat. Maybe,  _just maybe,_  Peach could manage to appreciate his words, and even learn to pursue them, with time. After all, he was kind, wealthy, and clearly fancied her. What more could she want from someone?

With that question, her eyes instinctively landed on her ring as her stomach fell. Maybe Mario could make her feel the way  _he_  had, if she let him? Could this be a sign for her to find someone else? While she had never pursued her admirer, she quickly craved for the attention he had given her after he disappeared.

As if sensing the awkward aura around Peach, Daisy peeked her head through the kitchen doors as she kicked them open once again. This time, she held two plates of food as she skillfully weaved between the countless tables and guests, even pausing to pour some drinks for a few tables. How she managed to do this was impressive in itself.

Within a few seconds, she had reached the two and carefully put their plates in front of each other. Mario eyed the food hungrily while Peach, too, couldn't deny how amazing it looked. She silently thanked Daisy for her perfect timing.

Daisy placed her hands on her hips as she sighed. "Sorry for the wait. Luigi was excited to hear that you had a little date with you," Daisy snickered with a wink towards Mario. The shocked expression on Peach's face made Daisy force an awkward smile. "I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin'," she reassured.

The three shared a small laugh before Daisy took a step back.

"Anyways! You two enjoy your meals." She gave one final smile in Peach's direction. "You know where to find me if you need anythin'!"

And with that, the two were alone once again. Instantly, Mario dug into his meal with a wide grin on his face. How he managed to take such large bites without making a mess was weirdly impressive.

Peach quickly followed suit, though far more dainty.

"I believe it's your turn to ask a question," Mario stated between a hearty bite of his meal. He seemed unshaken from their earlier topic, as if it hadn't even happened, which allowed Peach to relax, as it wouldn't likely be brought up again.

Peach forced a smile, slightly exhausted as she thought over her long list of questions, almost all of them revolving around her mysterious ghost - or, well, phantom, as everyone said.

"Tell me about this phantom," Peach whispered thoughtfully. Mario began to talk before being cut off by a wave of specific questions. "Who is he?  _What_  is he? Can he  _invade dreams?_ " Peach cleared her throat as she realized how excitable she had become as she slumped back in her chair awkwardly.

Mario eyed her oddly, not expecting that last question.

"No one knows who he is or if he's actually a ghost. And...dreams? I'm not sure," Mario stated with a small chuckle. He, at least, had never experienced such a thing. Though, with all of the mysterious things the phantom had done, he wouldn't be surprised if it had happened.

Mario paused for another large bite of his meal.

"He appeared a few years ago, according to Pauline. We don't know how long he has existed, but he first harmed someone four years ago, and killed a handful more after." Mario knew 'handful' was an understatement, but knew that was a fact that wouldn't mean much if he tweaked it a bit.

Peach paled at the word 'killed.' Her ghost was a murderer? He had deaths on his hands? Was that what was going to become of her if she wandered where he told her not to go? A slight shudder ran up her spine as she realized she had been grabbed by someone who could have easily killed her without a second thought.

While, at first, she was fearful, intriguement quickly followed. Why didn't he kill her? Why didn't he kill everyone? Did he have a reason? While she wasn't too afraid, she had to admit that that information was a  _bit_ chilling.

Peach took a small bite of her meal as he continued.

"It's odd, but the phantom has grown much softer over the years. He has only killed three people this year." He frowned. "Whether a ghost or not, he is powerful. But, he seems to have had a slight change of heart. Though, not by much."

Peach sat in silence as she vaguely remembered his form. He had towered over her; easily double her height, if not more. From what she could feel of his claw, he was strong, and the idea of him killing someone didn't seem so crazy. Hell, even his claw in itself was enough to grab her and do as he wished.

Mario noticed her silence and took it as concern. With a shake of his head, he continued. "He won't harm you! He has only touched workers who wandered beneath the opera house. Or, the ones who have...done questionable things to our actresses. You are smart enough to do what he asks, yes?"

Peach nodded, but silently groaned as she realized his answers only brought  _more_  questions.

At the mention of the opera house's depths, Peach tapped her chin in thought.

"Have you been beneath the opera house? I didn't even know there was space beneath it until  _he_ -" Peach bit her tongue as she corrected herself. "-until I heard about it."

Mario paid no attention to her slip up.

"I have thought about it, but it wouldn't end well. The stagehands say that the walls are a part of him. That this building has eyes on every corner. Everything that happens, he knows. If I went down there, he wouldn't be happy with me." Peach leaned forward at his fearful description, knowing exactly what he meant. "But, for those who  _have_  gone down there, with strict permission to  _only_ fetch props, they say it leads through the walls and covers everything. It's crazy, I know, but that's what I have heard."

Peach quickly connected  _some_  dots about his methods of spying. Ever since she had arrived, a steady feeling of being watched had hovered around her, especially during rehearsal or when she was in her room. Yet, the eyes that she felt didn't feel the same as the creature she had met in her dream, somehow.

She couldn't forget that gaze, seeing as it felt like she had felt it so many times before.

"What do you know about his identity? I feel like I've-"

Out of the blue, Daisy's hand quickly shot across the table to refill Peach's drink, interrupting them as her arm blocked their view of one another. Peach smiled awkwardly, however, as her drink had barely been touched in the first place. Why did it need to be filled back up?

Slowly, as if taking as long as possible, she filled it to the brim before taking half a step back away from the table.

"Mario,  _oh Mario!_ " Daisy softly teased through clenched teeth. "You don't want to scare her off! I don't think you should be telling her your ghost stories-"

Peach shook her head earnestly as she smiled and cut of their waitress.

"I brought it up," she kindly reassured, hoping to clarify. Instead, Daisy's blood ran cold. "I have no plans of being scared off! Don't worry." Mario and Peach softly laughed, but Daisy simply looked between the two silently. "Do you happen to know anything-"

Before she could even fully ask her question, Daisy waved it off nonchalantly.

"Other than him being some sort of  _joke_  to scare you guys, I have no clue," she quickly replied. "Seems to be working pretty well." She eyed Mario specifically, who blushed in embarrassment.

"Anywho!" Daisy turned to Peach with a coating of kindness that seemed a bit rushed.  
" _Peach_ , it was lovely to meet you. My shift's over here in a minute, but don't be shy to let Weegi and I know if you need anything while you're here. You know where to find us."

Mario eyed her suspiciously. For the years she had worked here, she had always gotten off at nine, sharp. Why was she bailing so early?

Peach forced a kind smile, not knowing if she would take up that offer or not. As much as she admired Daisy's personality, something about her was off-putting. Perhaps it was just the stress of a long work night?

"And as for you,  _shorty,_ " Daisy mumbled back to Mario, who already had his face stuffed back in his pasta. "Stop feedin' her rumors. Got it?"

Mario seemed far more interested in his meal as he continued eating, resulting in Daisy rolling her eyes as she turned around and left the table to themselves.

Instead of heading through the kitchen doors, however, she rushed through the diner's entrance, shoving past an elderly couple of koopas who had just walked inside.

Peach cringed as the couple almost fell, but thankfully caught their balance. They shot a confused glance towards Daisy, but shrugged it off as they headed towards the seating area.

"What was that about?" Peach mumbled with a furrowed brow as she turned back to Mario, who had just finished his last bite. Peach noticed that nearly all of her pasta had barely been touched, so she quickly followed suit.

Mario quickly pushed away his empty plate as soon as she spoke.

"She's convinced the phantom's fake. She hasn't stepped foot in the opera house, so I don't blame her." He sighed in defeat. A clear layer of embarrassment coated his words. "Sorry about that. Most people react that way."

Peach shook her head.

"Don't be. It makes sense." She gave a gentle laugh. "It sounds a little crazy when you think about it."

Mario nodded, thankful that she wasn't holding this against him.


End file.
